Rob Shotton is cycling to 60 London rugby clubs towing a water butt for the charity LooseHeadz. Bromley RFC, Beckenham RFC and Beccehamian RFC are on the route.

A man towing a water butt behind a bicycle is calling at three of the borough’s rugby clubs this week, scoring a try at each and pouring a little water out before riding on. The ride ends at Twickenham on Saturday, and it has already passed its fundraising target.

Rob Shotton, co-founder of the rugby mental health charity LooseHeadz, is riding the Offload Challenge from Monday 21 to Saturday 26 September: an attempt to score a try at 60 rugby clubs across London in six days, cycling between them with the water butt in tow (LooseHeadz event page).

The charity’s press agency told Bromley Online on 16 September that Bromley RFC, Beckenham RFC and Beccehamian RFC are among the 60.

The Offload route map supplied by LooseHeadz: a numbered loop around London from a start in Wandsworth to a finish at Twickenham, Monday 21 to Saturday 26 September
The route map LooseHeadz issued with its announcement. It is an illustration of the loop, not a timetable. Image: supplied by LooseHeadz

Why a water butt

The butt is the point of the ride. On his fundraising page, Shotton writes: “LooseHeadz exists because too many people in our game have carried something heavy on their own for too long, and didn’t know how to offload it. The water butt represents that weight. At every club, they’ll help me pour a bit of it out.”

The release sent to us puts the detail on it. The trailer carries 30 litres. Half a litre is poured away at every club, and the aim is to arrive at Twickenham with the barrel empty.

The ride starts at The Alma in Wandsworth and finishes at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 26 September, before the Red Roses play New Zealand’s Black Ferns. Kick-off there is 3pm (England Rugby).

Former England players are joining him on sections of the route to recreate tries from their own careers. The charity names Anthony Watson, Kyran Bracken, Andy Gomarsall, Danny Care, Ugo Monye, David Flatman and Topsy Ojo, along with the former Red Roses player Fiona Stockley.

Shotton says he is not a cyclist. “The last time I properly got on a bike, I broke my back,” he said in the release. That was 11 years ago.

The three borough stops

All three clubs are already signed up to LooseHeadz’s club scheme, which gives clubs a trained mental health lead, and each has been registered since 1 January 2025 on the charity’s own club list:

What we could not confirm. We asked the agency on 16 September which day and roughly what time the ride reaches each of the three clubs, and whether any of the named players would be there. It said the details would follow. None had arrived by the time this was published on 24 September, and none of the three clubs had posted about the visit on its own website when we checked. So there is no stop time to give you. Bromley Online will add it if it comes.

Where the money goes

As of the evening of 24 September the fundraising page stood at £4,615 raised, plus £484 in Gift Aid, against a £4,000 target. The page notes that the total includes £2,500 raised outside the platform (GivenGain, The Offload Challenge).

The money goes to the LooseHeadz Foundation, registered charity 1193051. The charity says more than 1,300 clubs in 36 countries have registered with its scheme (LooseHeadz).

The Offload Challenge in numbers: 60 rugby clubs in 6 days, 21 to 26 September 2026; more than 260 kilometres cycled; a 30-litre water butt with half a litre poured out at each club; 3 clubs in the borough of Bromley, at Hayes, Beckenham and West Wickham; £4,615 raised against a £4,000 target as of 24 September
Graphic by Bromley Online
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What it means for you

  • If you see a cyclist towing a water butt between Hayes, Beckenham and West Wickham this week, that is what is going on.
  • No stop time has been published for the borough clubs. Watch the clubs’ own channels and the charity’s event page rather than turning up on spec.
  • The fundraising page is open at givengain.com.
  • If you are heading to Twickenham on Saturday, note that Lewisham station is closed all weekend. Our roadworks and travel page has the rail closures.
  • If your own club wants a trained mental health lead, the LooseHeadz site has the sign-up.

Sources