HEARTBEAT CYCLE CHALLENGE

Leyland Rotary and Heartbeat Need Your Support - You can just click to DONATE HERE

As President of Leyland Rotary, my chosen charity for the year is Heartbeat, the North West’s leading cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation charity, providing services for over 950 people every week.  Based at Deepdale, Preston they have supported heart patients and those at risk for more than 45 years.  Each year, Heartbeat has to raise £1m to continue to deliver heart services and support in Preston, Leyland and across Lancashire.  The charity is solely funded by its own fundraising activities and generous donations.  It does not receive any external funding from the NHS or government.  To support one person through cardiac rehabilitation for one month costs £25; for a year £300; for 25 people £7,000 - these are just some examples of the costs involved in providing these vital services.

I chose Heartbeat for several reasons:  one of my friends had a heart transplant 19 years ago when he was only 51, and also because Leyland Rotary has supported Heartbeat previously through our Pitch4Pounds initiative and know the work they do with local people and how they need to raise their own funds to keep this amazing service going.

Leyland Rotary President’s

Heartbeat Cycle Challenge will take place on

14 February from 10am to 3pm at

Leyland Leisure Centre.

There will also be a bucket collection at Tesco Leyland from 11am to 3pm.

February is Heart Awareness month and of course the 14th is Valentine’s Day - so it couldn't be a more appropriate time to raise money for this very worthwhile cause.

We are challenging people to join us in our exercise bike challenge to ride the 75 miles around all the Heartbeat centres which are located in Leyland, Preston, Penwortham, Garstang, Kirkham, Lytham, St Annes and Clayton-le-Woods by:

• donating via Just Giving HERE
• buying raffle tickets
• sponsoring the event, or
• donating raffle prizes.

You could even volunteer to ride the bike - be it for 15 minutes or even the entire 75 miles!  The route starts and ends at Heartbeat’s headquarters at Deepdale and takes in its centres at Garstang, St Annes, Lytham, Kirkham, Penwortham, Leyland and Chorley.  If you would like to have a stint on the bike, please let me know so that I can arrange an appropriate time slot.

Can you help us by sponsoring this event or donating raffle prizes?  You will be helping many local people by doing so.  We will include you in our publicity as a thank you. If you can, please email leylandrotary@gmail.com.