VOLUNTEERS at Sue Ryder pulled together for their 117-mile bike ride which is the equivalent distance of the M25. However instead of gracing the road and facing the unpredictable British weather, they opted for an exercise bike in the charity shop’s window in South Street, Farnham.

The team at Sue Ryder were supported by Farnham Leisure Centre, which loaned the bike along with some trainers, to oversee and encourage, not push. Kathryne O’Sullivan, manager at the Farnham branch was getting bored of cliched fundraising events and wanted to try something different to raise that little bit extra:

“I was racking my brains for ideas, so I got the map of England and thought why don’t we cycle somewhere and the M25 just jumped at me.

“By the time we reached 5pm, we had 23-miles left to go, no question we all wanted to see it finished so we stayed until 6.30pm to see the last mile in. In total 17 volunteers jumped on the bike, I was gobsmacked at how many people actually got involved.”

Kathryne added that fellow volunteer and qualified nurse Jill Ely was their secret weapon, who successfully completed 40-miles of the distance achieved. Jill who has recently won a long-service award for volunteering in India, volunteers at the charity shop two days a week. She said: “I cycle everyday anyway, so it was fine for me but it was such a good day, everyone joined in and it was just really, really great.”

They successfully raised £400, which was £100 more than the original £300 target. Sue Ryder offers care to those living with a life-changing condition, especially neurological disorders such as Huntingtons and Parkinsons.

“We are not just there to support the patient, we are there to support the family as well because any condition affects the entire family not just the one person. We are currently the second largest supplier of hospice care within the UK.” Kathryne added.