As big fans of cycling and huge supporters of St Elizabeth Hospice, we’re very pleased to be supporting St Elizabeth Hospice as a sponsor of 2018 RideFest along with Beagle Property,  SuffolkWire and MorVend.
RideFest, is a series of cycling challenges organised by the hospice including the Workplace Challenge where businesses across Suffolk competed against each other in a static bike challenge in their own offices. Last year this raised thousands of pounds for the charity.
This year, the hospice has added two individual challenges to the programme: One which can be completed in the persons own time and a mega 25 or 50 mile road ride around Suffolk in March.
Felicity Rook, head of fundraising at St Elizabeth Hospice, said: “We were overwhelmed by the support we received from businesses across Suffolk last year and, from the feedback we’ve had, everyone had a great time.
“Every little helps. Raising £25 will help cover the cost of a nurse to look after a patient for one hour and raising around £45 could provide a therapy session for someone who has lost a loved one.”
The Workplace challenge takes place from Monday 12 to Friday 23 February. Those who cycle the furthest distances and raise the most money will compete to be crowned champions at the RideFest grand final on Thursday 1 March at Trinity Park.
For the individual challenge, people can take part in RideFest in their own time and can set a personal target of miles they would like to complete throughout February and March. This can be done at home or in the gym on a static bike or out on the roads. Supporters will be asked to collect sponsorship for taking part. Whichever way the miles are clocked up is entirely up to the individual but the distance completed must be recorded.
There is no cost to the individual to take part but each participant is asked to raise £25 which could be used to pay for one hour of nursing care for a patient at the hospice or in their own home.
Sportive challenge – New for 2018, the RideFest sportive challenge is an outdoor cycle ride with a 25 mile and a 50 mile route around Suffolk’s roads. It takes place on Sunday 18 March and is an ideal warm up event for more seasoned cyclists to get back in the saddle after the winter break. Participants can also choose to collect sponsorship for taking part if they wish. £108 raised could help provide four music therapy sessions for patients, relatives and the bereaved which aids relaxation, comfort and emotional release.
Places for the sportive cost £18 each for the first 100 people to sign up and will then rise to £25 if purchased before the event. On the day registration will be available and entries will cost £28.
To find out more about any of the RideFest challenges in support of St Elizabeth Hospice, or to sign up, visit the website here.