Following the success of last year’s charity cycle ride from York to Shrewley which raised more than £73K, Warwick-based Molly Ollys is gearing up for another similar challenge on the 7/8/9th July.
This year’s route will be around 180 miles, going through the beautiful countryside from Exeter to Shrewley over three days. Cyclists interested in taking part are being encouraged to get in touch now to secure their place on what is guaranteed to be an extremely rewarding and invigorating experience.
Forty-seven cyclists took to the hills and terrain of York to Shrewley last year and despite steep inclines and challenging heat, every person completed the three-day ride and many made friends for life – whilst fundraising to help children with life-threatening illnesses across the UK.
Karen Robbins, one of the riders last year, lost her daughter Leanne to cancer. Molly Ollys granted Leanne a wish to see a West End show. Karen, from Long Itchington, said of the experience: “I would just like to say how humbling and special the weekend was, I still can’t believe we did it. It was a tough weekend on the hills, but we remember the tough, painful times the kids go through without complaining at the end of there very short lives.”
Jeremy Nesbitt was one of the support crew last summer; “We should all take a moment to reflect and commit to doing it all again. Life deals us many rubbish cards, but whilst we can, we need to spread the message and help support more families to cope with the dark days – the collective power of a dedicated team can achieve so much!”
This year’s route is another special one for Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw ,who co-founded the charity 11 years ago in their daughter Molly’s memory. She died at eight-years-old from a rare kidney cancer, after five years of treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The family used to go on holiday to nearby Sidmouth and it holds treasured memories.
Rachel said; “At Molly Ollys, we exist to improve the lives of children just like Molly who have been dealt very unfair cards. If we can bring them comfort, make them smile or give them something to look forward to, that is what we will do. But we cannot do it without the kind and generous donations of funds and time. Last year’s ride was the 10th Anniversary of the Charity and it far exceeded our expectations on so many levels. It was very emotional for Tim and I seeing all the cyclists in their Molly Olly pink tops ride in together to the finishing point to huge applause. We would love to hear from any cyclists who are interested in being involved this year.”
For more information about the Exeter to Shrewley three-day ride, please email Rachel at: rachel@mollyolly.co.uk
For more information about the charity visit here
