The Boys Are Back In Town

In 2015, 2016 and 2017 Seaton Sluice Backpedalers completed sponsored rides to raise funds for Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care.

We cycled about 500 miles and raised about £24 000. The end result was this:

A brand new ambulance called Sparkle was added to the Daft As A Brush fleet and it proudly bears our logo.

Last year (2018) we took a year off, not from cycling or supporting Daft As A Brush, but from doing a sponsored ride. This year The Boys Are Back In Town. We're getting back on our bikes to raise funds for Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care. We've been looking for a new challenge and we've found one that fits the bill. 
We're going to do the Ride to the Sun.

It's a 100 mile bike ride which starts in Carlisle and ends in Cramond, just outside Edinburgh. You can read all about it on the Ride to the Sun website. We'll be leaving Carlisle on the evening of Saturday 22nd June and riding through the night to arrive at Cramond in time for sunrise on Sunday 23rd June. 
As we've said before, cycling 100 miles is the easy bit. The hard bit is getting sponsors and collecting money! Details about how you can support us will appear here soon. Meanwhile you can keep abreast of our progress by looking at our Facebook page, Seaton Sluice Backpedalers.

Some Final Thoughts

Seaton Sluice Backpedalers big event, the Kielder Kaper, is almost upon us. By now, hopefully, all riders have reached a peak of physical perfection in preparation for what will be a demanding three days of cycling.

Day 1 – Delaval Arms to Bellingham

We’ll be covering over 150 miles over 3 days so it is important that riders follow the correct route and don’t add any extra distance to the total. On Day 1 we we will be following Route 10 (Reivers) from the Delaval Arms to Bellingham.

At Backworth we will stay on the road until we pass the Killingworth turn and then take a sharp left onto the cycle track.

Sustrans have been busy putting up new signs so theoretically there shouldn’t be any problems.



In practice, it may not be that simple. Some of the signs are quite small and could be missed if riders are distracted and not concentrating. Remember – if you miss a turn you may end up doing extra miles and those extra miles are certain to involve going uphill.

The Clock Is Ticking ……..

In two weeks time Cycle Challenge 2016 will be underway. On a ride we have named the Kielder Kaper, 22 Backpedalers will be cycling 150 miles around Northumberland (the easy bit) to raise funds for our chosen charity Daft As A Brush (the hard bit).


Last year we raised the amazing sum of £10 000 which is still the single biggest donation Daft As A Brush has ever recieved. We would dearly like to raise a similar amount this year but in order to do that we need lot of help from our supporters, 

If you would like to help us achieve our target, there are several ways you can donate.

We have an online page with Virgin Moneygiving which offers a number of options for sponsoring us. In addition, Backpedalers have sponsor forms so supporters can sign up and make a donation.

Visitors to the bar at the Delaval Arms will see a large sponsor form displayed and collection tins are positioned on the counter.

As stated above, riding a bike is the easy bit, raising funds for a worthwhile charity can be hard. In previous years we have been lucky enough to have had tremendous support from our supporters and sponsors in the local community and around the region. It will be a big ask to match, or even exceed last year’s total but if we aim high, who knows what could happen?

Highlights 2015

It’s traditional at this time of year to look over the preceding twelve months and pick out the best moments. 2015 has been a good year for Seaton Sluice Backpedalers but what was the high spot? A picture is worth a thousand words.

A selection of photographs from 2015 can be viewed here  and a slide show of the photographs is also available.

 

2016 promises to be another interesting year, but more of that later.

Cycle Challenge 2016

On 29th October 2015 Seaton Sluice Backpedalers had the pleasure of meeting with Brian Burnie and some of his team at Daft As A Brush Headquarters for a fish and chip supper.

It was their way of thanking us for our efforts in Cycle Challenge 2015 when we raised over £10 000 for Daft As A Brush, the biggest single donation they have ever received.  Brian told us what the money would be used for and gave us an insight into some of his plans for the future. He also expressed the hope that we might consider raising money for Daft As A Brush in the future.

How To Sponsor Us

The success of Cycle Challenge 2015 will depend on a number of factors. Everyone completing the ride and having fun along the way is guaranteed but of course, our aim is to raise as much money as we can for our chosen charity, Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care.

All Backpedalers will have sponsor forms for collecting donations. There is also be a large version on display in the Delaval Arms.

In order to collect Gift Aid, which adds 25% to the value of the donation, it is important that donors provide their name, their house number (or house name), the first line of their address and their post code.

An alternative to a sponsor form is the Virgin Money Giving online system used by Daft As A Brush. Seaton Sluice Backpedalers have their own page up and running and ready to receive donations.

Runners and Riders

Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care have eighteen people carriers which they use to transport patients to and from their hospital appointments.

Each people carrier is sponsored by a local school and has a name chosen by the children.We thought it would be a good idea to assign a people carrier name to each Backpedaler so that we can identify more closely with the work of Daft As A Brush. Names were drawn out of a hat in an open and transparent manner (honestly!).

Raring To Go

Last night Backpedalers met in the Delaval Arms to get an update on Cycle Challenge 2015. Everything is going to plan with transport, accommodation and restaurants all booked. We have a sponsor for our cycling shirts and t-shirts have been supplied by Daft As A Brush.
Jean Ross and Brian Burnie of Daft As A Brush were present to meet the team and Brian took the opportunity to tell us a little more about the work and future plans of the charity he founded.

One Backpedaler posted on their Facebook page:

"Had a very inspirational meeting with the founder of daft as a brush ... Can safely say what a deserving charity to be doing the ride for."

It's fair to say that's how everyone at the meeting felt.

2015

2015 has arrived and it promises to be an interesting year for the Backpedalers. Top of the agenda is Cycle Challenge 2015. On 23rd May we will be leaving Edinburgh on the Coast and Castles cycle route and cycling 186 miles to the Delaval Arms over three days. As well as meeting a formidable physical challenge (and having fun), Backpedalers will be raising funds for local charity Daft As A Brush.

Fund raising is already underway with collection boxes in place on the bar in the Delaval Arms.

Other fund raising activities are in the pipe line and details will be announced in due course.

A Visit To Daft As A Brush

Three Backpedalers called in at the Gosforth Headquarters of Daft As A Brush Cancer Patient Care to discuss our decision to support the charity as part of our Cycle Challenge 2015.

Brian Burnie, the founder of the charity, was present and was keen to explain the importance of the work they do. We didn't need much convincing but it made us realise that we'd made the right choice when selecting them as the charity we'd raise funds for.