A group of friends from Kings Langley have raised over £6,000 for charity after cycling a 60-mile route and holding a fundraising event at a local pub.
The group chose to raise money for the Hospice of St Francis because of a personal connection to the charity and went on to host a fundraising event at the Saracens Head pub in Kings Langley.
Peter Thorpe, one of the men who took part in the ride, said it took them about five hours in total to complete the route.
He said: “It was good, the weather was lovely. There were lots of hills, probably not as many as we expected.
“But we actually pushed the miles a lot quicker than expected and got back on time and even stopped for lunch.”
The hospice holds a special place in the group’s heart as they cared for Peter’s mum, Moira Thorpe, before she sadly passed away in 2009 from cystic fibrosis (CF).
Peter said: “I know they’ve gone on to care for other CF patients since, and in many ways that is a legacy of mum’s stay.
“The Hospice’s care is so crucial to so many people in their last days. We’re not regular cyclists by any means. For some of us it’s the first proper ride – but we want to make a difference for other local families.”
After the ride, the group were greeted by residents at the pub for an afternoon full of BBQ food and raffle prizes.
Businesses in the local community, kindly donated a range of prizes which were up for grabs in the raffle.
This included an £100 cash prize for first place, a selection of meal for two vouchers to redeem at local pubs, a free men’s haircut, a boiler service, and a massage.
Peter wanted to add a special thank you to the owners of the Saracens Head, Pete Dillingham, Darren Rollo and Gavin Saunders. As well as the Langley Butcher, Barbers Lounge and Langley Autocraft for their contributions.
Claire Jones, events manager in the hospice fundraising team said: “We are so grateful for what Peter and his friends have achieved. It’s great to see that even though mass participation events aren’t able to go ahead at the moment this has not stopped our fundraisers completing their challenges and achieving their goals safely.
“I was at the Saracens Head when they finished there was a lovely community atmosphere in the town.”
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