Frome pub’s seaside cycle tops off fundraising

Yvonne Brunton from Dorothy House with cyclists before the ride

REGULARS at The Royal Oak Inn recently cycled 58 miles to Bournemouth to raise money for Dorothy House, following the pub’s £530 donation to Harry’s Hydro Appeal.

The cycle ride raised money for the hospice charity, which has been accrued in sponsorship throughout the pub’s fundraising events earlier in the year.

The ride, on Saturday 27th September, left The Royal Oak in Frome to arrive at The Dean Park Inn in Bournemouth.

One of the riders, Clayton Young said, “I enjoyed the ride most when it was over! The weather was perfect, and we all started and all finished, which is the important thing. It was a tough ride but good fun, and it was great to go with such an encouraging group of people. There were 18 of us; many don’t do this kind of thing regularly, but there were a few experienced cyclists. It was good to have them talking us up the hills.

“This is the third year I’ve done the cycle; we started it because Dorothy House cared for a couple of friends of ours after they were diagnosed with cancer. We chose the charity and went from there. ”

Landlord Lisa Curnow said, “Around 20 cyclists collected sponsorship in the build-up to the ride with the help of the locals at the pub.

“A swear box, raffles, bingo, a race night, and the harvest festival are a few of the events that raised money and encouraged the cyclists. A number of volunteers also gave up their time, fuel, and vehicles to ensure the safety of the cyclists on the journey to Bournemouth, and brought them all back to The Royal Oak for a celebratory knees up!

“We have also been raising funds for Harry’s Hydro Appeal. Some of the money was raised at our harvest festival where a framed sketch of the pub was auctioned off, then presented to us as a thank you gift.”

The Royal Oak, on Oakfield Road in Frome, is now launching a competition to win free Sunday roasts for a year. They will be posting flyers that can save 20% on food bills in the pub, and can also be filled in to enter the competition; the winner will be drawn on Thursday 1st January 2015.