On Sunday 13th July, Heritage colleagues Phil Bryan and Matthew Walmsley took part in an organized sponsored event covering 103 miles of road cycling starting and finishing at Blythe Valley in Solihull, West Midlands.
They commented, “We have done some shorter cycle challenges before so we thought this time we would do a gruelling 8 or 9 hours in the saddle and for our pain try to raise some funds for a local charity. Because we’re from different parts of the country we decided to choose a worthy cause near to Heritage Envelopes so we decided to raise money for The East Lancashire Hospice. Many of us know or have known friends or loved ones who have had to go in to hospice care and we thought the work the hospice does and the environment it creates is an important comfort to all patients and their relatives.”
The organized event included hundreds of other riders, many raising money for their own causes and the challenge started just after 8.15am on a drizzly Sunday morning. When the sun came out it was a warm and humid day. The ride took them through the Warwickshire villages and later out nearly as far as Moreton-in-Marsh before circling back through the Cotswold country villages then after some punishing climbs, home to a warm reception from the crowd waiting at the finish line.
More importantly, donations reached a total of £312 for the hospice. The cycling duo added, “We are really grateful to everyone who supported us with sponsorship – it was a stimulating boost to know that our efforts were being supported – especially when energy levels were running low and we are delighted that The East Lancashire Hospice can add this to their funds.”
