Manchester to Blackpool Bike Ride

A big thank you goes out to all who took part in the Manchester to Blackpool bike ride on 10th July 2011 in aid of St Mary's Hospice, including Sandy Townsend (pictured), who raised a wonderful £600 for the charity!

Sandy commented on the event:

"At 2pm on Sunday afternoon, I crossed the finish line having started the ride at 8am. Not exactly the time I was aiming for but as you might expect the event did not run as smoothly as I would have liked!

The first 18 miles went without a snag and I was really enjoying myself, however just as the bunch of cyclists passed Standish Golf Club, I was overtaken by a fellow competitor and as he cut in and took my line his rear wheel caught mine and I was on the floor!

The cyclists to my rear did their best to avoid me but there was a bit of a pile up! Injured and bloody (someone else’s blood!)I was picked up from the road and two kind cyclists checked my bike over and dried my tears and I began mile 19/65. Cycled into torrential rain for the next half hour, followed by sharp showers for the following half hour. The dreadful weather was further compounded by my post crash bike having a bent handlebar and there was also something wrong with my gears. All I needed to do was get to the next mech stop, that was my goal.

Arrived at a sunny Preston Sports Arena and had my bars sorted. The crash had also bent a thingy which needed the doodah removing, straightening and then recalibrating. 20 mins or so later I was back on the road (with gears) for mile 48/65.

As I approached St Anne’s pier, the roar of three fans cheering me on (Julie, Mike and Max) gave me the extra bit of encouragement I needed to get me to the finish, also Mike explained that even with my bad luck, I was still in the top 50, out of about 8000 riders!

Next thing I knew I was crossing the finish line at the Solaris Centre, with my lovely Family who had placed themselves right at the chequered flag! And had waited quite some time!

I cycled to work, Monday and Tuesday with my aches and pains which made me realise, a bumped head, sore rump etc etc for a few days is NOTHING compared to the conditions some people have to endure for the rest of their lives. I am talking about the people that you have helped by donating your hard earned cash to a cause which is now very close to my heart.

Love and thanks

Rider 3509"

Furness Firecrackers Roller Marathon!

St Mary's Hospice would like to thank The Furness Firecrackers Team from GP Commissioning who took part in a Roller Marathon at Goodwood Park.

Team member Wendy Gillen comments on the event, "It was brilliant and wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be! We are definitely going to do it again next year, hopefully with a bigger team. I completed the marathon in 2 hours and 41 minutes. I have no blisters or aches or pains, so it was a complete success! All 6 of the Furness Firecrackers Team managed to complete the course to raise much needed cash for St Mary's Hospice."

So far the team has raised a fantastic £1300 and they are still collecting sponsorship until November. Well done girls!

17 strong group walks Cumbria Way to raise vital funds

A 17-strong group of walkers, led by Martin Hughes from Barrow, embarked upon the five-day trek along the Cumbria Way walk to Carlisle, from Ulverston in memory of Linda Hughes in June 2011.

The walk was held to raise money for St Mary’s Hospice, where Mr Hughes’ wife Linda was cared for before she died, aged 45, on the 10th September 2010.

On the 10th September 2011, the group gathered together again at the Brown Cow Inn, Dalton to present Zoe Guest from St Mary’s Hospice with £7765, which has been raised by all the participants for the charity.

The group is now planning to hold an annual fundraising event in Linda’s memory.

Mr Hughes said he was extremely grateful to Phil and Jenny Collier, who drove the group’s support car along the journey and ferried bits and pieces to them along the way.

Mr Hughes would also like to thank Tina Bayliss, Selina McKenna, Angela Forbes and Mandy Shaw for bringing daily supplies to the group.

Zoe Guest said “It is a fantastic achievement to raise such a significant amount of money for St Mary’s. We cannot thank Martin and the team enough for everything that they have done and really appreciate all the support shown to St Mary’s.”

Paws for Thought

We were delighted that 39 dogs and their owners turned up for our first ever sponsored dog walk “Paws for Thought” on Sunday 11th September. Despite the terrible weather, all the pets put their best feet forward with their families to raise funds for St Mary’s.

“Paws for Thought”, in memory of Family Support Team Leader, Mo Kirk, who sadly passed away recently, covered 1.5 miles and took place from Glaxo Sports and Social club, Ulverston.

The course took the owners and dogs towards the coast and then on a circuit of the playing fields. It was then back to the entrance for well-deserved refreshments for both adults and dogs. All dogs who took part in the event received an award for their participation.

It is hoped that together participants will have raised over £1200 for St Mary’s, which is a wonderful achievement. We will certainly be running the event in 2012 and hope that even more dogs will come forward to take the challenge.