Sponsored charity Spinathon gets a last-minute reprieve

A 3 hour non-stop, charity spinathon will go ahead this Saturday, despite original plans being foiled by the fire at the Exeter Riverside Leisure Centre.

The charity event, which will see participants taking part in three hours of non-stop high intensity ‘spinning’ on static bicycles, is taking place this Saturday (4 March) and was originally scheduled to be held at the Legacy Leisure-run Wonford Sports Centre using spin bikes from the Riverside Leisure Centre.

A total of 28 participants had signed up to the Spinathon, but the recent fire at the Riverside centre meant that the event, which has already secured hundreds of pounds of sponsorship for the two featured charities Alzheimer's Society and Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust, was unlikely to go ahead.

However, Exeter University have stepped in and offered their spin facilities and gymnasium instead, so the event can now go ahead.

The event has been organised by spin instructor Joss Knight-Pacheco and keen spin class participant Helena Seward, a social care worker at Devon County Council.

Said Joss:  “We were really grateful to Legacy Leisure for enabling the event to go ahead in the first place, and supplying the bikes, so we were absolutely devastated at the news of the fire, and that the event might not go ahead after all.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to Exeter University, who have really saved the day and made it possible for us to go ahead with the event for the two amazing charities.”

The two charities benefiting from the fundraising were each chosen by Helena and Joss. 

Helena said of her support for Alzeimer’s Society:  “Dementia is one of the biggest health challenges facing society today, but it doesn’t get anywhere near the attention it deserves. Working in the Adult Social Care profession, I know that the work Alzheimer's Society does is invaluable. Not only do they invest in research in to dementia care, cause, cure and prevention but they have a growing initiative to change people’s perceptions of dementia.

“There can be a lot of stigma attached to dementia and I am passionate about the work Alzheimer's Society is doing to transform the way the nation thinks. We are fundraising for your Grandfather, your Grandmother, your Father, your Mother, your Brother, your Sister, your Uncle, your Aunt, your friend and everyone else living with dementia.”

Alison Davidson, Director of Sport at the University of Exeter said: “We are delighted to be able to offer our support for this vibrant charity event. There has already been a lot of hard work put into organising the spinathon, and a fantastic amount of money raised for two very worthwhile causes The University is extremely happy to be able to step in and ensure that it can go ahead as planned.”

The event has already raised over £600 – smashing the original £500 target.  Anyone who would like to sponsor the event and donate to either the Alzeimer’s Society or Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust can visit the Justgiving web page.