Cyclists raise £12,000 for Exeter charities
A team of cyclists from Moshulu in Honiton have raised 12,400 for two Devon based charities by cycling 1,200 miles across the length of the country from John O'Groats to Lands End.
Father and son Neal and Matt Fulls and their friend Chris Pope took nine days in June to cycle from the tip of Scotland to the most westerly point in Cornwall in aid of their chosen charities – the Neonatal Unit (NNU) at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital and FORCE Cancer Charity.
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters of the Moshulu footwear company in Honiton, 19 staff simultaneously covered the same distance on two static spinning bikes.
Finance Director Neal said: “I decided on the challenge because it has always been on my bucket list and I was determined to complete the ride before my 50th in December this year. I’d never even ridden a road bike before I purchased one especially for the challenge a year back and started training.”
Neal was inspired to support the RD&E’s NNU after his son was cared for at the unit, in its previous location, ten years ago.
“My youngest son Lewis was born 10 weeks premature and spent seven weeks in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Heavitree. Ever since we have felt that any money we can raise should be for the unit, especially the facilities for parents as this is often the area where NHS funds don’t cover. Whilst my friend Chris felt strongly towards FORCE in Exeter so we decided to split the proceeds down the middle.”
The trio embarked on their challenge on 5th June endured torrential rain, 70mph winds headwinds and the punishing hills of Devon and Cornwall en route to the finish line on the 13th.
Neal added: “The Ride itself was an epic challenge and one that we are all very proud of. It is amazing what your body will do if your mind is in the right place! Scotland was a nightmare. Other days were great fun though. Tough but fun. We arrived into Lands’ End to a great crowd of 30 friends and family – which was a total shock and a fantastic conclusion.”
Neal, Matt and Chris recently visited the RD&E and the FORCE Support Centre in the grounds of the hospital with their families to hand over the cheques and take a tour around the facilities that their fundraising efforts will support.
Louise Rattenbury, Matron for the Neonatal Unit at the RD&E said: “We are absolutely delighted with this kind donation and we would like to thank Neal and his team for supporting us with their fundraising. We hope to put the money towards buying some new furnishings for the unit such as curtains for each cot space to give parents some privacy with their little ones and some controlled lighting to make certain areas more personal and patient focused. This will make a huge difference for some of our families and it is something that they should be really proud of.”
Sarah Daniels, Head of Fundraising at FORCE, commented: “A massive thank you goes out to team Moshulu – Neal, Chris, Matt and their extremely hard working support crew – for taking on JOGLE 2015. They raised more than £6,000 for FORCE, which means we can continue to support local people affected by cancer here on our doorstep. The team set themselves some tough fundraising targets and smashed them with their hard work and determination. Thank you so much to their work colleagues, who also took part on static bikes back at Moshulu HQ in Honiton – it was a team effort in every sense. Well done to you all.”
To find out more about the challenge visit their website
