A 100 cyclists have raised thousands of pounds for St Richard’s Hospice in a sponsored epic bike ride.
Toby Fellows, a surveyor in Birmingham, organised the 100 mile cycle challenge from his former school, The King’s School, Worcester to Aberdovey in Wales.
The cyclists ranged in age up to 70 years old and included a rider who took on the challenge despite having had two knee and hip replacements in the last three years.
Toby, who lives in Stourport and is an experienced cyclist, said, “My inspiration for starting such an event was to challenge those that would not usually do something of this nature and to push people’s boundaries. I knew they would feel a great sense of achievement which is one of the best feelings in the world!”
He added, “The scenery on the whole route was stunning, and particularly the ride into Aberdovey. The refreshment stops were very welcome as there were 30mph headwinds which meant pedalling even downhill. I would like to say a huge thank you to all the sponsors that contributed to help make such a great event, which helped to provide cycling tops for all participants made by Scimitar Sport, as well as HomeKitchen who produced goodies at two of the three stops.”
Toby hopes the total raised will top £15,000 towards the care St Richard’s offers patients and families.
St Richard’s Hospice Fundraising Manager Rachel Jones said, “We’re very grateful to Toby and the riders who took on this huge challenge and have raised such an enormous sum of money to help us care for patients and families.”
Toby has an online donation page if you wish to sponsor the event: https://www.justgiving.com/Tobias-Fellows/ If anyone would like to take part in next year’s charity cycle please contact Toby Fellows on email
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-threatening illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,600 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.