Basingstoke ObserverTHEY made it from Basingstoke to Bath and back – and in doing so, the fabulous Arkriders raised more than £30,000 for local charities and passed the £300,000 fundraising milestone.
Forty-three cyclists, backed by a three-strong support crew, piled on the pedal power as they completed a 140-mile round trip over the weekend of June 11-12.
Fabulous support from 700 donors means that the riders smashed their initial £15,000 target for The Camrose Centre, which helps homeless and vulnerable people in Basingstoke, after already donating £2,500 to Ark Cancer Charity.
The Arkriders have been at the heart of Ark’s campaign to raise £5million to provide supportive care and complementary therapies to help cancer patients and their loved ones – raising more than £270,000 since they started fundraising in 2016.
Craig Killick, a founder member of the Arkriders, said: “Thank you so much to everyone who has kindly supported the Arkriders’ Class of 2022. After the Covid-19 pandemic put the brakes on our fundraising in 2020, the Arkriders were delighted to get back in the saddle and to complete our pledge to raise money for Ark and The Camrose Centre, in Basingstoke, which provides support and assistance to the homeless, vulnerably housed, and socially isolated in Basingstoke and Deane.
Challenges like this involve a lot of organisation and commitment from those taking part, and we are delighted that the hard work has paid off. Everyone involved with the Arkriders is really proud that this latest adventure has taken our total fundraising past £300,000 – an awesome, and humbling, achievement.
We are particularly grateful to Basingstoke companies Winkworth estate agents and Neale Turk LLP Solicitors, which were the headline sponsors for the 2022 event, and also to Beaufort Financial (Reading) and Basingstoke Deane Rotary Club, which were support sponsors. As always, this was a challenging, and also fun, journey for the Arkriders, and achieving our fundraising goal means any pain in the legs or other parts has been worth it.”
The Arkriders are also grateful for the help they received from Fyffes, in Basingstoke, which donated 100 bananas, and the Apollo Hotel and Rewind Marketing, which also provided valuable support.
Mike Browning, chair of trustees for The Camrose Centre, said: “This amazing effort by the Arkriders, sponsors, and supporters has gone beyond our expectations.The money raised will allow the Camrose Centre to open for two days a week for a full year. Thank you so much – local people helping local people to help local people!”
Merv Rees, Ark Cancer Charity trustee, added: “Congratulations to the Arkriders – this is another amazing achievement, and everyone at Ark is grateful for the invaluable support that the Arkriders have provided for Ark since 2016.”
