Ospreys in the Community’s completed their Ride2Rugby bike ride recently and it went down as a huge success.
Starting with an original target of £35,000, they comfortably surpassed their original target, raising £57,000 in total which made it OitC’s largest ever fundraiser.
The funds raised will help towards sustaining OitC’s hugely successful Sporting Memories initiative, that utilises sport to tackle social isolation and loneliness amongst elderly people and people suffering from dementia.
The riders began by battling the torrential conditions and hills on a brutal day one from Swansea to Tenby, with over 1000m of elevation, and were welcomed by Tenby RFC for a great first night as a team.
Conditions were not much better on day 2, as 50mph gusts along the west coast delayed proceedings. The winds died down slightly by lunchtime, as they made their way to Fishguard, with a few detours en route due to flooding.
That wasn’t the last of the delays though, as the overnight ferry also held them up but a brilliant welcome from Fishguard RFC for food and beverages made up for it whilst they also bumped into some familiar faces all the way from Mumbles RFC.
The third day began with the first day of the Irish leg, with some actual sunshine coming out to make the journey that little bit easier. Riders went from Rosslare to Arklow and the lack of weather warnings definitely helped.
The evening activities included a trip to Arklow RFC, home of Irish legend Shane Byrne, who was also there to greet the riders. Some quality and not so quality singing, coupled with some kind donations pushed the riders on.
With Dublin firmly in the riders’ sights, they powered through the coastal road of Wicklow and into the Aviva Stadium.
Without the kind help of the multiple sponsors and companies that took part, the bike ride and the money raised would not have happened.
Speaking on the success of the bike ride, Community Foundation Manager for OitC, Tom Sloane, said: “One of our key aims at OITC is to ensure we can support our communities for as long as possible. Fundraising events like this one are part of our sustainable growth plan and we are so pleased so many people want to get behind us and support!
"All the money raised through our initiatives go back into our programmes, this ride specifically focusing on Sporting Memories.
“With the huge amount raised, this will sustain the programme and allow us to increase the amount of beneficiaries access each week! We are hugely grateful to every rider and donation.”
The Ospreys and OitC would like to take this opportunity to thank Sinclair Land Rover Swansea for lending a support vehicle and Calon Construction for their Sponsorship.
Both organisations would also like to following company owners that raised money and took part in the bike ride:
- Castle Scaffolding
- RNA
- MP Financial services
- Celsius Installations
- Electrical Wholesale Services Neath
- BP2 Land & Property Consultants
- RVD Electrical
Interested in joining us next year? More details will be announced soon, but you can register your interest below!
