Frome cycling foursome raise over £3,500 for charity

FOUR friends from Frome took part in the Prudential Ridelondon-Surrey 100 on Sunday 31st July, raising over £3,500 for charity.

Gary Hirons, Steve Thomas, Mark Smith and Rob Storey, took part in the ride, which celebrates the legacy for cycling created by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The foursome have raised over £3,500 in aid of two charities that they support, Epilepsy Action and The Dorothy House Foundation.

Gary Hirons said, “I had watched the London Marathon for many years in awe of those taking part and, not being a runner, the London to Surrey 100 Ride seemed to be the perfect alternative.

“Choosing a charity to support was a done deal having had a number of years of experience seeing what those suffering with Epilepsy have to deal with on a daily basis.

“Having said as we crossed the line, ‘That’s that ticked off my bucket list, I don’t need to do that again,’ it would appear we are already planning for next year! I would like to add the whole event is fantastically well organised with the organisers and hundreds of volunteers doing a magnificent job in what at times were quite testing circumstances.

“Thank you to everyone who supported and donated to the fund raising.”

The day began at 6am with 24,000 riders setting off from Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. They rode out of London and through the country roads and hills of Surrey before returning to the capital for a spectacular finish on The Mall in St James’s Park.

Epilepsy affects around one in every 100 people in the UK and 87 people are diagnosed with the condition every day. Each year Epilepsy Action helps around one million people through a range of services.

“The Dorothy House Foundation is a charity that three of us have fund raised for previously,” added Gary. “Unfortunately it is a fact of life that many of us will require the services of The Dorothy House Foundation at some point in our lives.”