Earlier this year, the organisers of CARTEN100 2022 very kindly offered Cardiff & Vale Health Charity a couple of free places for the annual Cardiff to Tenby Cycle ride.
Two fabulous riders took us up on that challenge – Emily Harrington and Andrew Knight, two great friends and cycling enthusiasts who wanted to support the Crisis Recovery Unit.
The ride took place on Saturday 7th May, and Emily and Andrew finished the 109 mile distance in glorious sunshine and said they had a wonderful day, motivated throughout by the generosity of all the lovely people who sponsored them.
On behalf of them both, Emily said “Sparky and I have been friends for about 25 years. We enjoy cycling and mental health is an issue close to both our hearts. We jumped at the chance to cycle the CARTEN100 to raise money for Cardiff & Vale Health Charity, but neither of us have covered such a distance in a single day before and the initial enthusiasm did turn into trepidation in the days leading up to the event.”
“We were delighted by how much sponsorship we raised, it was way more than we expected and we were touched by the generosity of our friends, family and colleagues. However, the size of the donations meant we felt the pressure to get over the finishing line! We ended up having a fantastic day – the weather was beautiful and it was genuinely fun to cycle so far with thousands of other people. It got a bit difficult around the 75mile mark, but some coffee and malt loaf reinvigorated us and we finished at a good pace. We hope to do it again in future years and recommend it to anyone who likes cycling – it really is achievable. I chose specifically to raise money for the Crisis Recovery Unit, because I know they do excellent work and patients I work with have valued their input, and it can offer an alternative to hospital admission.”
Emily and Andrew raised over £1600 between them, and it was wonderful to link in with Kim Thomas, the Crisis Recovery Unit Manager who was blown away and slightly emotional at the efforts of both riders, and the generosity of their supporters. Kim said “I would just like to send a huge
thank you to Emily and Andrew it must have taken tremendous courage to be able to complete this course, thank you also to your extremely generous friends, family and colleagues who sponsored your quest. I can assure you that the donations will make a real difference to the Crisis Recovery Unit and to all clients and staff who attend the unit, we will use the funds raised wisely and ensure that client experience is enhanced, we have some great ideas already and you have all made it possible to bring these ideas to life. Thank you all so very much.
On behalf of Cardiff & Vale Health Charity, thank you to Emily, Andrew and all who have supported, and there is still time to donate:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Emily-Ay1
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Andrew-Knight35
If this has inspired you to take up your own challenge, contact our fundraising team at fundraising.cav@wales.nhs.uk