 The Annual Bike Ride and Walk
Our most important fund raiser; this is an all-Somerset, all-churches, all-denominations, all-ages event. The whole community can be involved - in 2007 often spanned three generations of the same family.
How does it work?
Participants on cycles, foot or horseback get themselves sponsored to ride or walk on a route of their own choosing, calling in at as many churches and chapels as they think people will sponsor them for. Sponsorship can be per church or chapel visited, or as a lump sum. On the day, many churches and chapels will display a registration form on which to record your visit. There may be refreshments and a steward present to countersign your form. However, it is stressed that every church or chapel you visit and record on your sponsorship form, whether open or not, counts towards sponsorship. Historic Churches Trusts all over the country take part in this event and, if you want, you can cycle or walk in another participating county while raising money for your home churches and chapels in Somerset.
These days an easy way to ask friends, relations and other contacts for sponsorship is by e-mail. Sponsors can then pay by credit or debit card online through the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). To enable this you must contact the County Organiser (see below) who will send you a CAF internet link with your personal reference number together with details of the procedure (which is very simple). Car or public transport may be used to get to the start of a circuit and / or home from the end. If you cannot cycle or walk round your chosen circuit why not visit the churches by car and make a donation on the Sponsor Form?
When does it happen?
Every year on the second Saturday in September. What happens to the money? Half of the money raised is returned to the church or chapel nominated by the individual cyclist or walker. The other half goes to the FSCC and is awarded in grants to churches applying for help with repairs. Since the FSCC's foundation in 1996 these grants have exceeded a quarter of a million pounds.
You don't have to cycle to raise money
What the Ride has achieved
In 2007, over 400 Somerset churches and chapels took part on one level or another. 89 churches produced over 400 riders, walkers and "church sitters" who found sponsors and raised £22,408 for Somerset.
Want to take part?
The annual Bike Ride & Walk ("Ride & Stride") urgently needs your help if you live in one of the areas below. Here, we badly need "Local Co-ordinators" to liaise with five or six or even more churches encouraging them A) to be open on the day and B) to provide people to ride, walk or act as stewards who can find sponsors for their efforts. A) or B) alone is counter productive as an open church without visitors and riders/walkers finding churches closed are unlikely to take part again.
Broadly, these so far non-participating areas stretch from Watchet to Bridgwater and through to Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead. Since our Local Co-ordinators in Bath moved out of the county we are short there too. Coverage is also thin in the neighbourhood of Midsomer Norton and Radstock. Elsewhere in the county the Bike Ride/Walk has faithful and enthusiastic support year after year. It is an enjoyable day and those who have taken part once take part again.
If you feel you can help here get in touch with the County Organiser,
Reflection on the Somerset Bike Ride click here
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