25 riders will soon be embarking on a gruelling seven-day, 500-mile cycle ride from Leicester to Paris, to raise much needed funds for two charities.
The team will depart on 4thAugust from Leicester’s historic clock tower for the journey that will take them towards Cambridge then Harwich International Port for an overnight ferry towards the Hook of Holland, from there onward, the tour of Europe will begin through Antwerp, Brussels and Lille before arriving in Paris on August 12th.
Established in 2012 by a group of De Montfort University Students, Riders of Shaam have hosted cycle rides to different parts of Europe, all for worthy causes and have raised thousands of pounds, notably for Penny Appeal last year when the riders cycled from Leicester to Luxembourg raising funds for several projects.
Following this successful trip, the riders wanted to continue their relationship with Penny Appeal this year and have set a fundraising target of £100,000 for several Penny Appeal projects. Including, Emergency Response in Syria and Rohingya, providing food parcels, clean water, medical supplies and shelter for those displaced. Monies raised will also go to the Open Your Eye project which helps over 285 million people living with visual impairments by giving then simple eye checks, medicines and operations that can restore vision. Other projects include, Thirst Relief, Love Palestine which provides food packs for families living in refugee camps, some for decades.
Amin Omar, lead organiser of the ride says:: “We’re going to be cycling long distances through beautiful country-sides, with great company and all for an amazing cause. Penny appeal are great to work with and provide great feedback for the projects we fundraise for, so we’re really looking forward to Leicester to Paris 2018”.
Haroon Mota, Head of Challenges at Penny Appeal says “We are delighted that Riders of Shaam have chosen to fundraise for Penny Appeal again for the second year. Cycling 500 miles over just 7 days is no easy feat, and they’ve been putting in some serious miles to prepare for the gruesome ride. The team have raised close to £100,000 already and we really hope the local community can get behind the team and donate towards their chosen projects. We would like to wish the entire a team the best of luck with their fundraising and training”.
Funds will also be raised for Rainbows Hospice, the only East Midlands hospice for children and young adults. The team would like to raise funds to finance the running costs for a hydrotherapy pool for 16-months.
Please go to www.ridersofshaam.comfor more information. If you would like to support Penny Appeal in their many life-saving projects visit www.pennyappeal.orgor call 03000 11 11 11.
