BIKE RIDE ARTICLE FOR APRIL 2007

- Fri 30th Mar 2007

This year’s ride, our 22nd and the last year we are planning to visit Paris or Versailles for the foreseeable future, is rapidly filling up, more so than in recent years. The shorter 3-Day ride already has a waiting list for cancellations, since it is limited to one 53-seater coachload. There are still a few places left on the longer 6-Day ride, but it is expected that this will be complete before Easter, although once again a waiting list will be created, in the anticipation of the inevitable cancellations, averaging 20+ riders per year – only one so far! So if you want to join us on this special year, it’s best to saddle up now and get that entry form in!

CHARITIES EVENING

We had a very good and enjoyable Charities Evening at Seacourt on 10th March, even though the numbers were slightly down on previous years, perhaps reflecting changing trends in sponsorship collection and giving. This year, more than half of the sponsorship has been sent by riders directly to their chosen charity, rather than via ACE, for the first time, many making use of the JustGiving website. However, we do plan to continue encouraging riders to distribute their sponsorship collection locally via ACE, if they do not have a chosen charity, or are happy for a proportion of their fundraising to be used in this way. We can then continue to benefit local deserving causes with donations, this year amounting to £9,593 to 26 local beneficiaries.      

On the night, we had over 60 representatives from the charities, with riders, support and partners taking the numbers to over 100. We had a showing of motorcyclist support rider Councillor Dave Collins’s Ride 2006 video and the opportunity for the charities benefiting to ‘network’ and meet riders, committee and support on the evening, as well as partake of an excellent buffet. With thanks to Kerry Taylor and Lynne Harris for the help in making the evening a success  

CHARITABLE RESULTS FROM PARIS TO HAYLING 2006

Abbeyfield UK - £110; Action Aid - £350; AFIRM     - £200; Age Concern - £500; Air Ambulance - IOW & Hampshire - £2,692; Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust - £150; Arthursheil Rescue Centre - £280; Association of Children's Hospices - £350; BBOWT - £615; Birth Defects Foundation - £1,000; Breakthrough Breast Cancer - £826; Breast Cancer Campaign - £400; British Heart Foundation - £1,100; British Kidney Patients Association         - £60; Cancer Research UK - £6,146; Canine Partners for Independence - £300; CFT Fund - £1,425; Chase Children’s Hospice - £400; Children with Leukaemia - £113; CLIC Sargent - £1,187; Derek Biggs - £100; Diabetes UK - £938; Dreams Come True - £320; E&N Marden Church - £333; Elizabeth Foundation - £200; Emsworth Scout Group (1st) - £300; Epilepsy Action - £350; Eyeless Trust - £1,500; Families in Crisis - £300; Family Service Unit, Scotland - £777; Friends of Hayling Trees - £100; Friends of Radiotherapy (FORT) - £100; Friends of St Mary's Church - £100; Guernsey Ward (St Mary's) - £500; Hampshire Wildlife Trust - £150; Havant & District Holiday Venture - £1,395; Havant Borough Talking Newspaper - £150; Hayling College - £250; Hayling Guides - £250; Hayling Health Centre - £100; Hayling Island Community Centre - £100; Hayling Island Cricket Club - £500; Hayling Island First Responders Scheme - £400; Hayling’s BEST MTI - £100; Hayling Red Cross - £4,149: Hayling Scouts - £454; Hayling United Junior Soccer - £879; Head & Neck Cancer        - £5,000; Headway (P & SEH) - £350; Hi Y Café - £100; HUFC - £540; Ikamva Labantu - £576; In Ministry to Children - £500; International Myeloma Foundation - £100; Jacqui Roberts Tribute Fund - £3,851; Jane Babb's Benevolent Fund - £100; Jo Homan Charitable Trust - £180; Kalimpong Association (UK) - £375; Lake Taupo Hospice - £100; Langstone Sailability - £355; Leukaemia Busters - £250; Leukaemia Research - £1,310; Macmillan Cancer Support - £1,060; MacMillan Nurses - £2,000; Mary Rose School - £100; Maternity Fund PHT NHS Trust - £700; Medical Physics Dept, Salisbury - £1,632; Mencap - £500; Mengham Infant School - £250; Mengham Junior School - £250; Mill Rythe Infant School - £250; Mill Rythe Junior School - £250; MNDA (Reading) - £260; MNDA (S.E. Hants) - £250; MNDA (Hants, Dorset IoW &CI) - £1,090; Mothers Union (HI) - £150; MS Society (Portsmouth Branch) - £750; Naomi House - £392; NSPCC - £180; Operation Smile UK - £4,855; Orbis - £411; OSCA - £250; Oxfam - £1,300; PALS - £200; Phil Baker - £90; Piam Brown Children’s Cancer Ward - £550; Playteam Association - £333; Plumpton School Fund - £650; Portsmouth Carers Association - £200; Portsmouth Hospitals Rocky Appeal - £100; QA Critical Care Unit - £650; READY - £225; Rezurgence - £4,086; RNIB - £60; RNLI - £250; S.I.D. - £550; Salisbury Hospice - £2,800; Samantha Dickson Research Trust  - £1,270; Save the Children - £335; Sightsavers International - £200; South Harting First & Primary Schools - £115; St Andrews PCC (Ghana Appeal) - £1,000; St Mary's Children’s Ward - £150; St Michaels Church, Amberley - £931; St Mungo Community Housing Association - £400; St Peter's Trust - £178; St Wilfrid’s Hospice - £908; Start (leprosy) - £50;

Stroke Association - £225; Student Partnerships Worldwide - £560; Teenage Cancer Trust - £711; The CP Centre - £150; The Medical Foundation for Care of Torture Victims - £820; The Rowans (Portsmouth Hospice) - £5,400; Theatre Royal Winchester - £62; Wessex Cancer Trust - £464; Winston's Wish - £450.

PRACTICE RIDES

The Practice Ride team, consisting of Kevin Knight, Rick Hutchings, Pete Alloway and Jon Tawse have completed the schedule for this year and these are now available on our website, with some final details to be added. For those who are thinking of entering the Paris to Hayling, as well as those who have already entered, why not come along and join us? Initially, the cycling is pretty easy, as we start off with a few short and flat rides. In any case these are ideal opportunities to meet other cyclists and to savour the social aspect, which as been so crucial to the Ride’s success!

CHANNEL TO CHANNEL

As always we have one special “Super Practice Ride”, the Channel to Channel, which will be over the weekend of 14th/15th May. Now in it 8th year, this will again be from Weymouth to Hayling via Salisbury.  Not only is it ideal preparation for our French adventure, but it also offers an alternative ride for those who cannot make it in July. Pete McQuade organises this and can be contacted via mcquadep@aol.com or on 07748556411

ENTRY FOR RIDE 2007

As mentioned above, the shorter -3-Day ride is now full, but there are still some places left on the longer 6-Day ride. Places can be secured with a deposit of £150, with the full entry fee being £375 for the 6-Day. We are planning to take 180 riders, with 20 in support. Places are filling fast, so get your entry form in now! 

Phone enquiries to 023 9246 1412 or by post to Paris to Hayling, PO Box 30, Hayling Island, Hants, PO11 9UD. Mobile – 07770-888501.

Website - http://www.hayling-cycle-ride.org.uk

e-mail address – paul.fisher69@ntlworld.com

PAUL FISHER  20/03/2007

By forum user, PaulFisher