Brave – and slightly broken – cycling enthusiasts completed the epic YMCA Tour de Y fundraising challenge on Saturday, raising more than £20,000 for disadvantaged young people across England.
A total of 21 entrants travelled an estimated 360 miles across England from Wednesday 23 September to Saturday 26 September, taking in one of two routes through the north west or south west of the country.
Tour de Y is part of a national YMCA fundraising initiative, inspired by the classic Tour de France annual event. Places for the tour were open to staff, volunteers or any members of the public who wanted to support the efforts of the charity in helping disadvantaged young people.
Graham Oatridge, Tour de Y organiser said, “Finally seeing it through to the end meant a lot for the cyclists and their supporters.
“To say we spent four days cycling 360 miles through England is an achievement in itself and I hope we’re able to inspire others to think of and take part in fundraising initiatives like Tour de Y in the future.”
Participants all paid £300 to take part in the YMCA fundraiser and were also asked to raise £750 minimum sponsorship.
Cyclist Peter Colmer, from YMCA Downslink Group, said: “It was hard. Although I trained, I hadn’t pushed myself like this with my cycling before. Once I reached the halfway point, I kept imagining getting closer and closer to the finishing line.
“We were a strong team and in the end raised a lot for our YMCAs. Well done to everyone who got involved, the volunteers who supported us and everyone who donated and spent their time to wish us well.”
All funds raised will be shared between YMCAs and YMCA England, the national council of YMCAs across the country.
To donate to YMCA, visit www.ymca.org.uk/donate
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For interviews or more information, please speak to Andrew Mortimer, YMCA England Media Manager, at Andrew.mortimer@england.ymca.org.uk or call 020 7186 9543.
Notes to Editors:
- Founded in 1844, YMCA in England is made up of 113 member YMCAs working to ensure that young people have opportunities to thrive and contribute positively to their communities.
- YMCA operates in over 530 different communities in England impacting upon the lives of over 600,000 people every year.
- YMCAs provide almost 10,000 beds for young people every night. YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of safe, supported accommodation for young men and women.
- YMCA enables nearly 43,000 people every year to engage in education, skills and training to enable them to improve their opportunities in the job market.
- YMCA is the largest voluntary sector provider of health and wellbeing services promoting physical activity.