A GRADUATE fed up with a humdrum life is cycling off to enjoy the freedom of the open road all the way to Africa.
After struggling to get a job, Sam Hickson, 24, of Green Bank, Ince has decided to go on a ‘holi-dole’ on a one-gear bicycle with just £100 of job seekers allowance.
The former Helsby High School pupil said: “Like many recent graduates I am struggling to find any kind of opportunity for employment.
“I have been unemployed since October and I have been on Job Seekers Allowance since Christmas.
“Now I have been informed that I will no longer be provided with job seekers. I have taken it upon my self to take the remaining dole I have received to take a “holi-dole”.
“I am trapped between an oil refinery and shopping centres – it’s less than inspiring to cycle.”
Sam, who says he is fed up of being a couch potato, has calculated he will cover around 1,500 miles travelling 40 miles every day at an average speed of 15 miles per hour.
After heading off on Friday he planned to take the Eurostar under the Channel and from Paris will head South with a compass as his guide.
Sam added: “I am empowered to take my life into my own hands and find the real virtues for living life passionately to challenge my every being.
“The trick will be to travel as far as I can on my last bit of dole money to see the sights of the world. Camping wherever I can, finding a bed for the night from any other befriended traveller or local I meet.”
Besides enjoying the independence of embarking on his trek, Sam hopes his superhuman efforts will encourage people in Chester to get in the saddle themselves.
After being chosen as a Cycling Demonstration Town, Chester will have more than £2m worth of investment pumped into it to create an area where cycling is a genuine option.
