Bristol firms are being challenged to get their staff to saddle up and take part in a four-day charity bike ride to Paris in aid of the city’s Above & Beyond charity.
Participants in the Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge will help raise £100,000 urgently needed to provide an individual room in the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) for patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) – a life-shortening genetic condition that damages the lungs and digestive system.
There is currently no cure for the disease. Last year 200 CF patients were treated at the BRI – 75% were between 16-27 years old. CF patients are incredibly vulnerable to infection and have to be cared for in isolation.
The room will mean more patients can be treated by the CF team with added space for specialist medical equipment and the comforts of home. There will be wi-fi so patients can stay connected to friends and space for a bed so loved ones can stay close by when needed.
The Bristol to Paris Cycle Challenge will take place from May 1 to 5 next year and the managing directors of Stuff Advertising, Specsavers, Avonline, Destination Bristol and Mubaloo have already signed up to take part.
At a launch event last night hosted by law firm Burges Salmon Stuff Advertising managing director Jonnie Galvin-Wright said: “As a local businessman I feel very passionate about supporting our hospitals – that’s why I’m taking part. And now there’s a whole team of us.”
The challenge will offer four unforgettable days over 430kms: participants will set off from Bristol and spend two days of cycling through English countryside, then set sail for France for two more action packed days in the saddle, pedalling through historic French towns and sleepy villages before experiencing the thrill of crossing the Seine to finish at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
All funds raised by this challenge will go towards the local hospital charity’s biggest ever £6M Golden Gift Appeal to transform Bristol’s hospitals, fully equipping them to deliver the life-saving treatments of today and the pioneering treatments of tomorrow to millions of people in our city and region.
To sign up or for more information, go to www.aboveandbeyond.org.uk/bristol-paris-cycle-challenge
