THE Rotary Club of Farnham pulled off another successful cyclathon attracting contenders of all ages racing to raise as much possible for charity.

An early start by the Rotary crew meant the first of 38 teams started at 8am. Preferred Travel brought colour and enthusiasm with their Hawaiian theme, while the trustees of Dempster Trust opened with what turned out to be the second best time for an over 60s’ team.

By mid-morning the event was in full swing with four teams riding at the same time. The Mayor of Farnham, John Ward, accompanied by the mayoress, Gillian Ward, made a special appearance to see his town council team deliver the best result in the novelty dress category.

Hugh’s Ukes followed providing musical accompaniment to their riders, impressing listeners with their rendition of ‘A Bicycle Made For Two’.

The charities that will benefit most from the funds raised by the Rotary Club of Farnham Benevolent Fund were well represented.

Phyllis Tuckwell took the overall lead which they held until the last team to ride, Barley Mow 1, swept past them to a decisive win.

Surrey Young Carers representatives Petrina Foster and Maria Hewson received the added bonus of a cheque for £1,000, which was from proceeds from previous events.

They then participated in the Cyclathon, supported by Dan Dewar of Burns and Webber and Emily Healy of the Farnham Herald.

Maria said: “The money raised will go towards activities and events to give young carers respite, and I wanted to be part of that and just come along and join in and see what was happening.

“I found it lot tougher than I thought but I have decided I am going to get the bike sorted out and get cycling.”

The family category was closely fought with Smith’s Riders holding off Betty Bobs and Nebular. Birthday Babes added some glamour to the evening sessions while getting to second in the Novelty Category.

Then came the final flourish with Barley Mow 1 beating the record from 2016 to finish the day on a high note. The Hedgehogs came through to take the over ‘60s by a big margin.

Physician and solo cyclist, Ibby Ibrahim, was thrilled to have raised in the region of £1,000. He was supported by his wife Dr Agnes Ibrahim, and said he was looking forward to fish and chips and pint of bitter following the cycle.

While sponsorship is still coming in and the closing date is not until the end of April the amount raised is already in excess of £10,000.

Further donations can be made either directly to the Rotary Club of Farnham Benevolent Fund or via the mydonate website which can be accessed through the club’s website www.rotary

farnham.co.uk.

The club thanks all its supporters and sponsors for helping make the event a great success, and the participants for making all the hard work worth while with their enthusiastic participation.