A member of the team at Lidl’s distribution centre in Newton Aycliffe is gearing up to cycle 140 miles in just two days to raise vital funds for the children and young people’s cancer support charity CLIC Sargent.
Assistant team manager Lee Brown and friends Chris Gettins, Andy Dent and Paul Livingstone – otherwise known as the Queasy Riders – will set out from Whitehaven in Cumbria on Friday (29th July) and hope to arrive in Sunderland the very next day.
In 2014 Lidl UK chose CLIC Sargent as its charity partner, and pledged to raise £1m – a feat which has already been achieved six months ahead of schedule.
The total raised means that CLIC Sargent could fund an incredible 40,000 hours of care for children and young people, and their families, who are going through cancer treatment.
Now, the Queasy Riders hope that their challenge will add £1,000 more to the pot, and are appealing for local people to sponsor their efforts and help them make even more of a difference.
CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families, providing vital emotional, clinical, practical and financial support during and after treatment.
In the North East, the CLIC Sargent team includes social workers, nurses and play specialists who are based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle – the hospitals in the region that specialise in cancer treatment.
Lee said: “Each member of the team has been affected by cancer in some form in the past, and nobody should be without the support and care they need at such a traumatic time.
“CLIC Sargent’s nurses and social workers are there for young cancer patients and their families every step of the way, which is why we hope to raise as much money as possible for this amazing charity.”
Fern McDonald, fundraising manager at CLIC Sargent, said: “Thanks to the backing of Lidl UK, the CLIC Sargent team is makes a huge difference to the lives of thousands of families who are going through the hardest of times.
“With the help of Lee and the Queasy Riders we’ll be able to be there for even more children, young people and families when they need us most.”
To sponsor the Queasy Riders Challenge visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/QueasyRidersC2C