A team of volunteers from The University of Nottingham has raised over £600,000 for charity after completing a 1,400-mile bike ride.
The team of 15 took part in the Life Cycle 4 (LC4) Challenge to support the University’s Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre (CBTRC), with each cyclist riding in honour of a patient who has battled the disease.
The patients and their families joined the community riders and their supporters for a day of celebration on Sunday to welcome the LC4 riders back from their journey to the four corners of Great Britain.
Community fundraising
Almost 600 members of the public took part in a range of sponsored rides on Sunday and joined the patients and their families to welcome the LC4 riders back from their journey to the four corners of Great Britain.
The current total is more than double the total from the previous Life Cycle challenges, but fundraising continues and the aim is to reach an ultimate target of £750,000. Contributions have included the riders’ own sponsorship, large individual donations, sponsored community riders and a host of University and local community fundraising by companies and groups, including a charity ball, cake baking and static bike challenges.
The fundraising was kicked off by a donation of £150k from the Brain Tumour Charity. Large companies have also joined in with significant gifts including Boots, MaxiNutrition (the UK and Europe’s leading sports nutrition brand), Campus Living Villages, UPP (a student accommodation provider) and Simon Jersey. Throughout the ride, the cycling team were also regularly approached by members of the public, who had been directly or indirectly touched by the cause, and gave donations.
Sam White
The group was led by Professor Sir David Greenaway, Vice-Chancellor of the University, who took his place in the saddle for the fourth consecutive year. Sir David was riding in honour of Sam White, who sadly died aged 16 a year ago from a brain tumour. Five members of the White family also took part in a community bike ride which took place during the final day of the ride.
Sir David told the families that they were the heroes of the day.
“You have been a real inspiration for the all the riders because when we felt we needed extra energy or a mental boost we’ve just thought about what you have done, which is to channel energy which could have turned into anger and frustration but you turned into a passion for doing something for others.”
Sam White’s dad Mike said: “One of our nephews said that if what we raise today can stop another Sam or similar children dying from cancer that would be fantastic. Obviously we’re not there yet but £600,000 goes some way towards getting there. This money allows the professionals and their teams to move forward and hopefully one day come up with a way of not only dealing with the cancer, but giving the patients an improved way of living after treatment.
“This injection of £600,000 can be doubled or trebled in terms of its impact and that’s going to be huge and will continue to be felt over the next three to five years. Sam was always acutely aware that what he did to raise awareness of children’s brain tumours, wasn’t going to benefit him but would benefit the children who came after him and he was okay with that, as we are too.”
The Life Cycle 4 fundraising will continue and if you missed your chance to support the team before or during the ride you can still show your appreciation by visiting www.nottingham.ac.uk/lifecycle. Every single penny raised will go to Children’s Brain Tumour Research.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university among graduate employers, the world’s greenest university, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the World's Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest-ever fundraising campaign, is delivering the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…