Easy riders raise £7000 to fight cancer
A cycling event held at Stourport for the first time has exceeded all expectations by raising more than £7,000 for the fight against pancreatic cancer.
More than 200 people attended Stourport Easy Rider which was held on Saturday (June 27) at the town’s sports club at Kingsway. Riders were sponsored to complete laps of a purpose-built cycling track of just under a mile with the money raised going to Pancreatic Cancer Action to raise awareness of the disease.
An Olympic torch bearer, Robin Jarvis, led riders of all ages around the track and those taking part included Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier.
Other attractions on the day included a baseball pitching game which proved very popular, bouncy castle, netball tournament, face painting, cake stall and barbecue. West Mercia Police officers were there to promote bicycle safety and a cycle mechanic checked over people’s bikes.
The event was organised by retired Wyre Forest District Police Inspector Paul Crowley, who has pancreatic cancer, and his friend Paul Knight who lost his mother to the disease.
Paul Crowley said: “Pancreatic cancer, which is often described as a silent killer, is the fifth most common cancer and yet many people don’t know anything about it. Survival rates are low, yet if it can be caught early enough it significantly increases chances of making a recovery.
“The event gave people a chance to cycle off-road in a safe environment and we organised it to raise awareness of the disease generally. The money raised will also be used to help educate people in the medical profession about the importance of early diagnosis, which is essential.”
He was grateful to the sports club for supporting the event and thanked all those who attended as well as the many local businesses and people who provided sponsorship and raffle prizes.
Paul added: “The weather was fantastic and the reaction overwhelming. We had set ourselves a target of raising around £2,500 from the event but we managed that on the day itself. However with Just Giving donations made online the total has topped £7,000, which has more than surpassed our expectations.”
For anyone who would like to boost that figure still further there is still time to donate online via justgiving.com/stourporteasyrider.