AN UPDATE TO THE STORY BELOW – SADLY DUE TO CORONAVIRUS, THE CHARITY RIDE HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED WITH NEWS WHEN WE HAVE IT
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On Sunday 22 March, 2020, the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Lord Burlington, will be undertaking an epic 208 mile cycle ride around Derbyshire’s county boundary, to raise awareness of, and much needed funds for Foundation Derbyshire, and we are so very proud that he will be riding his Mercian bike.
Aiming to ride 208 miles in a day, around the Derbyshire County Boundary including 14,585 ft of ascent, the High Sheriff will be joined by a team of experienced cyclists with strong Derbyshire connections, including Alison Fovargue, Assistant Chief Constable Paul Gibson, Dr Andy Hooton, Michael Kirkland and world record breaking endurance cyclist and mental health campaigner, Leigh Timmis – who travelled the world for 3 years on his Mercian bike “Dolly”.
“The aim is for everyone in the county to hear about Foundation Derbyshire and the amazing work they do. For example an emergency flood relief scheme and, separately, distributing over 250 donations to good causes last year all round the county, sometimes to charities that don’t have the money to promote themselves but are doing crucial work where it is most needed.
They are the community fund for the entire county and every single community I’ve been to as high sheriff has benefitted from them at some point. They are making a material difference to life in the county and this positive impact will grow as their endowment grows, so every donation is crucial.
HUUB have kindly sponsored the shirts, Derby University’s Human Performance Unit have helped me with my training plan and I’ve been trying to build strength at the gym when not out on the bike but the biggest boost to preparations is the cause itself. And doing it all on a Mercian is the icing on the cake!”
As we circumnavigate the county, we’ll be able to showcase the breadth of impact that the Foundation has, by visiting some of the amazing groups and organisations it supports.
Anyone who identifies with Derbyshire will identify with Foundation Derbyshire and by donating to their fund your money will be making a difference for many years to come.”
https://foundationderbyshire.org Has more details of the event:
Starting in Sudbury, the circular route will take the High Sheriff through Whaley Bridge, South Normanton and Swadlincote and give him the opportunity to visit Lifecycle UK (a bicycle refurbishment charity that trains HM Sudbury prisoners to be bike mechanics), High Peak CVS and the communities that pulled together during the recent Whaley Bridge Dam incident, SNaP Youth Project (that works with and supports young people to play a full and active role in their community) and South Derbyshire CVS Foodbank .
Providing Lord Burlington and his team with crucial outriding support on the day will be Derbyshire Blood Bikes, a local volunteer led charity that provides a free urgent medical courier service for the NHS in Derbyshire, as well as our own Bike-Shop-Bob who works with us regularly at the Mercian workshop as a mechanic and bike-builder, Bob will be the event’s Mechanic following in case of need.
To get to the required level of fitness Lord Burlington has been helped by the experts at the University of Derby’s Human Performance Unit, which provides sports science services to individuals, coaches and teams wanting to enhance their performance. Dr Tom Outram, Senior Lecturer in Biomechanics and Performance Analysis explained “At the HPU we help athletes at all levels to improve, be they students, staff or people from our region”
Foundation Derbyshire’s Chief Executive, Rachael Grime, added: “This is a Herculean undertaking and we are delighted and humbled that the High Sheriff and his fellow cyclists are supporting us in this way. Over the past twenty three years, we have distributed over £15 million to local voluntary groups and organisations, but there is still so much more to do.
There are many ways to support the bike ride, from making a donation, to becoming a Foundation Friend or simply spreading the word and we hope that people will be inspired to get involved and to help us”.
The office of High Sheriff has existed for over 1000 years and whilst the duties of the role have evolved over time, supporting the Crown and the judiciary remain central elements of the role today. In addition, High Sheriffs actively lend support and encouragement to crime prevention agencies, the emergency services and the voluntary sector.
So Good luck to all the riders and volunteers! If you are able to please dig deep and make a donation to this worthwhile cause for this epic ride, any amount will be appreciated and can be made using the Just Giving link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RideAroundDerbyshire
“and doing it all on a Mercian is the icing on the cake!” – High Sheriff of Derbyshire, Lord Burlington. Pictured below with Leigh Timmis training in sunny ‘Derbados’.
