Due to Covid 19, our fundraising efforts for 2020 have been hit badly, and we have missed out on two battlefield tours. So we are holding a fundraising event with a difference to compensate for both, a virtual battlefield tour by bicycle. There are a selection of ways you can take part, as a team or an individual. The route is from Calais to the Somme then onto Ypres and return to Calais a 290-mile round trip. Where will it take place? It will take place in Veterans House Hassell Street Newcastle under Lyme ST5 1AR. Or if you are a keen cyclist and would prefer the open road then you can plan your own route to suit you. If you prefer to stay at home and use your own exercise bike then that is OK too. (More details below). Equipment The Tri Services Centre will have a variety of cycles that are appropriate to the fit and able, and the less able due to age or disability as we wish to make the event fully inclusive. There will be Exercise bikes, cycles mounted on Turbo Trainers and recumbent bikes to suit a variety of capabilities. Fundraising and Sponsorship Individuals who agree to participate will be asked to pay a £5 registration donation and then obtain a minimum of £25 in sponsorship from their family and friends. Sponsorship forms are attached to this document. Your registration donation can be paid in cash or online via Virgin Giving. If you pay cash you need to go to Tri Services centre, where you will be given an information pack. If paying online by Virgin Giving, you need to add «entry donation» so we can register you for the event. We are at attendance at the centre on our general opening hours. https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/finalCharityHomepage.action?charityId=1011335 There will be a ‘Special Surprise Gift’ for the person raising the most sponsorship. This will be an invitation to join us on ‘live’ Battlefield tour Date TBC. We will pay for your travel and accommodation, (please see the Terms and Conditions). As this is a joint venture with SSAFA Staffordshire, all funds collected will be split 50/50. Categories Group 1 This will consist of a group of elite riders who sign up and commit to cycling 290 miles or their own choosing and this is likely to be on Public roads. Also general cyclist who choose to do their own mileage at home or on local roads. Group 2 This is in the Tri Services centre and will run over a four-day period (Wednesday – Saturday). Individual in this group can choose any distance to ride. There is no minimum and no maximum, it is all about enjoying the event. You can start at any point on the route and stop at any point according to your ability and fitness level and of course availability of the cycles. What route will I be riding? The route is entirely up to you and what you think you are capable of. The Somme and Ypres routes are approximately 25 mile each. You can do both routes or part of one or the other. All you need to do is inform us which route you wish to take. You can find full details of routes and distances at the bottom of this post in the linked information pack. If you’re attending the centre, what happens on the day? You will be allocated a day/time where you can come into the centre to complete your tour and be fitted to a cycle of your choosing. Once your time starts, to make the whole event more interesting and interactive you will be able to see on screen a slide show of the areas you are travelling through and when you arrive at the next location you can pause and listen to a narrative of the events that took place in that location so many years ago. You can also be given a YouTube link where you can listen and learn for more information. Please bring with you any refreshments that you need. Bring your own waterbottles, but these can be refilled at centre. Raffle There is a prize raffle to be held with some fantastic prizes including: Family Woodcraft Experience Worth over £300 Gents Mountain Bike Ladies Mountain Bike £50 meal voucher M & S Champagne and Chocolates Lots of other prizes including cycle accessories. Tickets will cost £1 each Prizegiving and Awards On the Sunday following the cycling all participants will be invited to a ‘Buffet and maybe a free drink or two’ to celebrate their achievements. There will also be a Prizegiving and Medal presentations for all participants. Timings to be confirmed. Collecting of sponsorship monies Each participant will be responsible for collecting all sponsorship money and returning it to the Tri Services Centre within one week of the close of the event. At this point the prize winner will be notified. Any donations coming after this cut off point will not be added to the entrants total. It is essential that any sponsorship you are promised is entered on the form attached to this document. That way we can claim gift aid from the government for donors that are UK taxpayers. On behalf of the Trustees of Tri Services and SSAFA Staffordshire we would like to thank each and everyone of you for giving up your time and raising funds for us to continue supporting Veterans in Staffordshire and South Cheshire. Postponement or Cancellation In the unlikely event we have to postpone or cancel the event, full terms and conditions in the download document. Information packs can be arranged to be collected from the Tri Services centre. In this you’ll find: Sponsor Form Parental consent form (needed if under 16 years old) Media consent form Full terms and Conditions of event List of all possible routes with distances Event Poster Leaflet Event Details Literature these can be found here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1GC0-MFjmpiUhLMrBbtcu-ZLRjt38u0TD?usp=sharing If you have any further questions, you can message direct from this event page, and we will respond as soon as possible. Fievent.com | Contact | Privacy | Terms