In celebration of the Trust's 60th anniversary I decided to do a ride to help raise much needed funds to protect the wildlife and habitats across Essex. Essex is an area that I am lucky to be able to cycle in and enjoy on a daily basis and I felt it was time to give something back. We started at Belfairs Woodland Centre with a plan of visiting all nine centres and ending back at Belfairs Woods to see the end of #ForwardMotionSouthEssex 2019 Tweed Ride and Cycling Festival. This meant that we needed to start at 3.30 am to make it back in time! Despite the awful weather forecasts it was lovely at 3am and the perfect start to the day; warm and virtually no wind. A quick stop for a few pictures at the start and we were on our way. The roads were quiet and Mark and I were able enjoy a fair few traffic free miles. Occasionally the support van would pass us and then a few miles down the road we would pass them with a quick thumbs up to signal no help or supplies needed. First stop was at Fingringhoe nature reserve at 38 miles and then it was straight on to The Naze. Due to the early start both centres were closed so it was just a quick stop for photos and back on the bikes. We were lucky to ride through the most beautiful sunrise and the roads were just perfect. There was still no sign of the rain and we were in high spirits. We saw several squirrels, a fox, a muntjac deer and some pheasants on route, a great reminder of the reason we were doing the challenge. The third stop saw us at Abberton reservoir where all the staff and volunteers at the centre came out to give us a warm welcome. We were treated to a much needed cup of tea and were able to enjoy the lovely views of the reservoir and watch the wildlife - it really is very picturesque. Back on the bikes we were off to stop number four at Hanningfield reservoir where again we received a very warm welcome and had a great time chatting to the staff and volunteers. We had had a little rain on the way but overall the weather was still very nice. It was at stop four that we were joined by The Velo and the three of us set off in the direction of the next stop, Thorndon Country park. At Thorndon it was very busy and we were treated to a welcoming applause from visitors, staff and volunteers. Photos done there was time for a quick bite to eat and we were back on the bikes. As we headed towards Bedfords Park the sky got darker and it was time to don the waterproofs. We had a very heavy downpour but it really didn't dampen our spirits, and luckily it remained quite warm. Ingrebourne Nature Reserve was stop number seven and a chance for a much needed banana. A quick photo opportunity and we were back on the road with only 30 miles to go. Time wise we were bang on for the required finish time although we were a little concerned that we may be held up with traffic especially with the A13 being shut. As it happened the only place we really hit any traffic was cycling from Gallows Corner to the Squirrels Heath junction. Once through that it was on to TTNP in Stanford, our penultimate stop. After another warm welcome we had a quick chat with the staff and it was time to leave and head towards Belfairs Woods. It was great to see Alison Velo along the route (many thanks for cheering us on) and before long we were cutting our way through Southend towards the woods. Velo gave the 'two miles left' call and we gave it one final push up the lane into the centre. We were welcomed back by the Tweed riders, Hadleigh Mountain bike club and the Belfairs Woodland Centre with a red ribbon, huge cheer and a chequered flag - we felt like celebrities! I would like to say a massive thank you to Kate Waterfield for getting me involved, organizing and designing such a great route. Rob Greenall for driving the support van and being our mechanic on call. Rachel for all her hard work putting the cycling festival together, #GripsBikes who very kindly serviced my bikes ready for the challenge and supplied their van to be the support vehicle. All the wonderful staff and volunteers who staff the centers and everyone who cheered us on along the way and Forward Motion South Essex for my great goody bag Also a big thank you to Mark and Lee for keeping me company. Last but not least a big thank you to everyone who kindly donated to my Just Giving page - it was a real pleasure to be able to raise funds for this great cause. It isn't too late to donate: http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RideForWildlife
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Gina Cleere's #RideforWildlife is this Sunday! Gina is cycling 166 miles across the county in just one day to raise funds for wildlife conservation in Essex. Will you support her big challenge? http://bit.ly/2mlwvxz 🚴♀️🚴♀️ Really delighted to announce that #GripsBikes will be supporting my #RideForWildlife challenge this weekend (Sunday 22nd) raising much needed funds for #EssexWildlifeTrust. Grips are very kindly supplying a support van and mechanic to ensure the challenge goes smoothly.
There is still plenty of time to support my challenge and help support a fabulous charity To find out more and donate please go to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RideForWildlife |
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September 2019
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