Willow Wheelers 2020 Charity Cycle Proposal
Dear Willow Wheelers,
Background
As you are aware, the Willow Wheelers Cycling Club promotes a strong community and caring ethos, which is reflected by the Club’s deep ties with and support for African missions and other Mission Fund causes.
Due to Covid-19 legal restrictions, the Club has been unable to proceed with the 2020 annual 100 Mile fund-raising charity cycle this year. However, the needs of many of the projects supported by the Club are now greater than ever. For example, Fr. Brendan Foley CSSp (Leader of Spiritan Mission in Perus) who hosted the Willow Wheelers during the mission trip to Brazil last year has recently written to the Club. He has explained that his parish is at financial breaking point and how, despite his efforts to meet their most basic needs, the families in the São Miguel settlement are suffering enormously, and how they have been marginalised and abandoned during this time of crisis. You can also read about some of the projects that we visited during our trip to Kenya earlier this year and which are supported by the Club in an article written by Ainé O’Donoghue (Willow Park teacher), published on our website (https://willowwheelers.club/2020/05/07/willow-wheelers-kenyan-mission-trip-2020/).
Proposal
The Club may be in a position to run a delayed 100 Mile Charity Cycle in the Autumn (perhaps as a 100km event over the October bank holiday weekend), but this will depend on a number of factors, including the extent of Covid-19 restrictions then in force. In the meantime, we propose to organise an interim fund-raising event to help us provide continued support to the Willow Wheelers’ charitable causes.
We propose to ask you, our members, to organise your own individual charity cycles from home, which must be in compliance with the public health guidelines and other restrictions in force. It will be very important that each cyclist takes full responsibility for their own safety as this is not possible for the Club. Also, in the interests of safety, our junior members will need to be appropriately supervised within their immediate family.
Members can propose their own cycle, which could be cycling their own target distance within the applicable legal limit at the time, which could be up to 160km. We would welcome ideas from our member individuals, families or year-groups of how to run their own cycle safely and in compliance with the prevailing restrictions. In order to minimise road congestion, we propose that the cycles should take place any time between Saturday 30 May and Sunday 14 June, following which we propose to post a selection of routes, photos, etc. to our website.
Raising funds will be more challenging this year, but we will set up a dedicated page on the Club website, through which anyone can donate using the existing electronic-donations facility. If members are unable to participate in cycles, we would still welcome any contributions through this facility.
We would appreciate if you can send your feedback to this proposal to Committee members, through your WhatsApp group leaders or by email to contact@willowwheelers.ie.
Many thanks.
Willow Wheelers Committee
