Riders raise £12,000 for local charities
Riders raise £12,000 for local charities
Two local charities have been handed a cheque for £6,000 each at a presentation in St Annes. Trinity Hospice and The Community Hub at the Church Road Methodist have shared a total of £12,000 raised by an intrepid team of cyclists from the St Annes church this summer.
The nine-strong peloton, plus their four person support crew, covered almost 400 miles on their Six Counties Bike Ride back in July. The money was presented during a special Harvest Festival service at the church on Sunday.
Reverend Stephen Heath, minister of the Church Road Methodist Church said: “I thought the Harvest Festival was the most appropriate service to reveal the fundraising total, having sown the seeds of a great idea, done the hard work of the bike ride to now reap the rewards of the fundraising.
“Only my wife and I knew how well we’d done until we handed over the cheques and so the whole congregation was delighted to discover that we’d absolutely smashed our £10k target. I really can’t thank everybody enough for helping to achieve this fantastic total, it will make such a difference for both charities.”
Michelle Lonican, corporate and community team leader for Trinity Hospice, said: “We are so impressed at the amount of effort that this team of fundraisers put in to raise an incredible amount of money for Trinity. We are extremely grateful to each and every person involved in this amazing challenge.
“Their efforts will help us to reach more people across the Fylde coast who need our services. It is our aim that everyone across Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre has access to outstanding, expert end-of-life care when they need it, in the place they choose to receive it. A huge thank you to everyone involved.”
Businesses from across Lytham and St Anne’s sponsored the event, including Vincents Solicitors, whose local branch head was among those at the cheque presentation. Chris Mathews, head of the Vincents Lytham office, said: “It is an incredible achievement by the team, and shows the huge generosity of the friends and family of the congregation at the Church Road Methodist Church.
“We are proud to have played a small part in helping the event to raise so much money for two amazing local causes. Trinity Hospice plays such an important role in our community, and deserves all the help it can get, and the Community Hub is a wonderful initiative to bring people together and help those who need extra support.”
The Community Hub at the Church Road Methodist Church is set to open early 2019, following a huge £300,000 refurbishment programme. The new facility will offer a café, community space and meeting rooms.
When complete, Fylde Foodbank will return to the church from its temporary premises, and the building will house Wesley’s Community Café, providing healthy, affordable meals, cookery classes and companionship.
The Community Hub and Wesley’s Café will provide a meeting place for anyone from the local community, such as the playgroup and choir which already meet at the church, plus youth groups and senior clubs. The ambition is that it will also help to tackle a variety of issues including social isolation and food poverty, and help people access other services.
Pictured (L-R): The team with Vincents’ Chris Mathews (left) with their fundraising cheques.