The wheels are in motion for an epic cycle ride to raise much-needed money for many of the Isle of Wight’s charities.
The pedal-power fundraiser from Ryde to Freshwater has been organised by some of the island’s Tesco colleagues, with 10 cyclists taking part in the 18.5-mile event.
They will be supported by an open-top bus decorated with flags, posters and bunting, providing support when the riders get weary.
The aim is to raise as much money as possible for good causes such as Aspire, Cats Protection, Prostate Cancer Support Group, Isle of Wight Foodbank, Friends of the Animals, and Men in Sheds.
How the ride came about
Jan Gibson, community champion at the Ryde Extra store, said,
“We’ve done so many fundraising events for charities on the Isle of Wight, but this is definitely the biggest.
“It came about because we wanted to do something big for good causes local to us. Our temporary store manager at the time, Rob Milner, is a keen cyclist, so this event seemed like the natural fit.”
Who is taking part
She added,
“We have seven cyclists from Tesco and three from our charities. We had a lot more who wanted to be involved, but we would have had to get it okayed with the highways people and the police, so we’ve kept the numbers manageable.”
Which charities will benefit
Other charities that the fundraiser is supporting are Rotary on the Wight, Parkinson’s Society, Royal British Legion and The Phoenix Project, with support from the Isle of Wight Bus and Coach Museum.
Sponsorship and celebrations
Jan added,
“We really do want to raise as much as we can for these amazing charities, whose volunteers do so much for so many people on the island.
“We’ve had sponsorship from in the store, with colleagues raising several hundreds of pounds, but largely the charities are raising their own sponsorship. We won’t know the total until the ride is over.
“There will be a medal presentation for those involved once they reach the end in the afternoon, followed up by a buffet and celebratory cake.”
Other charities set to benefit from the sponsored cycle ride are WightSAR, The Wight Brainy Bunch, Wessex Cancer Support and Wildheart Animal Sanctuary.
When and where
The event will take place on Thursday 21st May, beginning at 10am.
News shared by Glenn on behalf of Tesco. Ed
