Rob Shotton is cycling to 60 London rugby clubs in six days, towing a water butt for mental health charity LooseHeadz. Two borough clubs are on the route.

Two of the borough’s rugby clubs are on the route of a charity ride that starts on Monday, and the rider will be towing a water butt.

Rob Shotton, co-founder of the rugby mental health charity LooseHeadz, is attempting the Offload: scoring a try at 60 rugby clubs across London in six days, from Monday 21 to Saturday 26 September, cycling between them with a water butt behind him the whole way (LooseHeadz event page).

The organisers have told Sutton Online that Sutton & Epsom RFC and Mitcham & Carshalton RUFC are both among the 60.

Why a water butt

The butt is not a stunt for its own sake. On his fundraising page Shotton explains what it stands for:

“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. Every club that empties a bit out is a club saying: not on our watch, not at our club, not alone.”

He wants it empty by the time he reaches the finish, “because 60 rugby clubs decided to carry it together”.

He is also candid that he is not a cyclist. “The last time I properly got on a bike, I broke my back,” he writes. “Truthfully, I’m not a cyclist, in fact, I hate bikes, and this is going to be a tough one for me.” Former professional players are joining sections of the route to recreate tries from their own careers.

The ride ends at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, on Saturday 26 September, where the Red Roses play New Zealand’s Black Ferns in the WXV Global Series, kick-off 3pm (England Rugby).

The two borough stops

Sutton & Epsom RFC plays at Cuddington Court, Rugby Lane, Cheam. The club was founded in 1881 and describes itself as one of the oldest active rugby clubs in England, now running more than 30 teams with 1,200 current and former playing members and 1,800 social members, from under-5s to veterans.

Mitcham & Carshalton RUFC plays at Dewsbury Cottage, Poulter Park, reached from Peterborough Road in Carshalton (club contacts). It runs three men’s XVs, a women’s side and youth teams from under-6s upwards.

Neither club had posted anything about the visit on its own website when we checked on 19 September, and the charity’s event page does not publish a day-by-day route. So there is no stop time to put in the diary yet. The charity’s Instagram and its event page are the places to watch during the week.

Where the money goes

As of 19 September the appeal stood at £3,635, plus £259 in Gift Aid, against a £4,000 target. The page notes that the total includes £2,500 raised outside the platform.

The money goes to the LooseHeadz Foundation, registered charity 1193051. The charity signs rugby clubs up to a mental health lead scheme, giving them free training, wellbeing check-ins and support from its team. It says more than 1,300 clubs in 36 countries have registered.

What it means for you

  • The ride passes through London between Monday 21 and Saturday 26 September. A cyclist towing a water butt is not lost.
  • No stop time has been published for either Sutton club. If you want to be there, watch the clubs’ own channels and the charity’s event page rather than turning up on spec.
  • The fundraising page is open now, at givengain.com.
  • If your own club wants the mental health lead scheme, the LooseHeadz site has the sign-up.
  • If you are travelling across town that week, note that the High Street gas closure now runs to 27 September, and our roadworks and travel page has the rest.

Sutton has form for fundraising on two wheels. In August we reported on the supporter cycling to every Sutton United Women away game this season, and our things to do in Sutton guide keeps the rest of the local calendar.

Sources: LooseHeadz: Rob’s Challenge, The Offload; GivenGain fundraising page, checked 19 September 2026; Sutton & Epsom RFC club profile; Mitcham & Carshalton RUFC contacts; England Rugby, Red Roses v New Zealand, 26 September 2026; the organisers’ announcement to Sutton Online, 16 September 2026.