Young cancer patients get active thanks to Explore 2024
Explore 2024's fundraising target was £40,000 to help our charity beneficiary Cyclists Fighting Cancer build activity zones at four children’s oncology centres throughout the UK. The activity zones consist of junior exercise equipment, including recumbent and upright exercise bikes, stair walkers, and elliptical trainers, which have to be ordered and imported from the US, the only country to manufacture exercise equipment small enough for children.
The cyclists smashed their fundraising target - hitting an incredible £55,492 - enabling Cyclists Fighting Cancer to broaden the scope and location of their activity zones. Throughout this year, the charity - accompanied by some Club Peloton community members - have been delivering activity zone equipment to children's oncology units in Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds and Belfast.
Richard Blair, Club Peloton trustee, joined Cyclists Fighting Cancer at the Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children, and takes up the story: "A couple of Fridays ago I took time out from my McLaughlin & Harvey WorkSpace activities to see the work of Club Peloton in action. This is one of the great privileges of being a trustee.
"I joined Cyclists Fighting Cancer at their latest drop-off of superb child-sized exercise equipment to Glasgow Children's Hospital. It is a little known fact that it is really difficult to get equipment specifically for children. I met Rich from CFC with his van full of equipment and banners for the photoshoot.
"We were joined by some of the wonderful staff of the hospital and Lydia, a young patient at the hospital, along with her parents. After helping to unload the various pieces of equipment, and a few photos were taken, the equipment was and had photos taken. Then it was up to the physio room for installation, where the physios will help children currently undergoing treatment for cancer to use the equipment.
"I left with a smile on my face and a very happy memory of seeing Lydia use the exercise bike and Rich telling her to get in contact for a bike to use when she's out of hospital."
You can read about the Leeds activity zone drops here and here.
