A MARATHON charity bike ride planned by Island firefighters between Newport and Rome has raised more than £27,000 for hospital equipment.
The Square to Square Charity Cycle Challenge 2008 will see a team of Isle of Wight firefighters cycling 1,400 miles each in 14 days between St Thomas’ Square in Newport and St Peter’s Square, Vatican, Italy in September 2008 to raise funds for the Wessex Cancer Trust for the diagnosis, treatment and care of cancer patients at St Mary’s Hospital.
When they launched the appeal, firefighters set themselves the ambitious target of raising £25,000 for their charity ride.
But they have already reached £27,500, with the most recent donation of £2,500 from Wight Strollers drama group, after just eight months of fundraising and have now decided to increase the target to £40,000.
The appeal has recently received a massive boost from Isle of Wight Festival promoter John Giddings who has donated a pair of tickets for June’s rock extravaganza to the appeal which are being offered in a prize draw.
Although the appeal is primarily about raising money, the team are also keen to raise issues such as the benefits of keeping fit and a healthy diet, by visiting all Island schools. Cyclists from the SQ2SQ Team 2008 have also recently completed their training to become British Cycling Go-Ride Coaches, which allows them to coach adults and children cycling skills.
Andrew Cooper co-organiser of the event said: “We are extremely grateful to John for his kind donation of the tickets to the festival.
“We have had a fantastic response from Island residents to Square to Square 2008 so far and we are confident that we can raise the £40,000 we are aiming for to help to care for Isle of Wight cancer and leukemia patients.”
Further information on the Isle of Wight Festival tickets draw can be obtained at www.SQ2SQ.com
