Saint Francis Hospice‘s supporters are renowned for their kindness, generosity, and creative thinking. It’s with thanks to their inventive ideas that they’ve continued to support the charity throughout the pandemic, despite being rooted in lockdown.
When Boris Johnson permitted one form of outdoor exercise per day, Paul Green decided to use the rule to the Hospice’s advantage. He arranged a ‘fully social-distanced sponsored cycle’ for 19 of his friends.
The cyclists determined that the course should be the distance between the Stade de France in Paris and a pub that holds many memories for them: The Tollgate in Chadwell Heath.
They hopped on their indoor and outdoor bikes and rode 8,000 miles between them. By setting up a JustGiving page, the retired rugby teammates raised an incredible £4,229.
‘We just cycle for fun and fitness,’ Paul explained. ‘Many of us have known someone who needed the Hospice’s care. The rest of us will inevitably know someone who will at some point. We range from being old and bad cyclists to very old and very bad cyclists. We obeyed the French rules of cycling: croissants for breakfast, baguettes for lunch, and red wine for dinner.’
