'Weekender' windfall for Weston Park
STEVE Peat called at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield to drop off a cheque for £15,000 – the proceeds from the latest 'Wharncliffe Weekender' mountain bike race.
It was the fourth annual event and takes the total raised by Steve and his friends for the teenage cancer unit to 44,000.
"It's quite surreal," said Steve. "What started out as a bit of fun with a few mates is now becoming a recognised and respected event in its own right.
"We've been having up to 2,000 hits on our website each week, even six months after the event. I've taken donations from people all over the world, which I hope is raising the profile of the charity as well as our event. We're all stunned."
Last year the 'Wharncliffe Weekender' attracted more than 1,000 visitors to a tented village at Hallfield Head Farm, Wortley, and saw 140 riders take part in a fun race and a more serious competition for hardcore mountain bikers. Andrew Hardman, 36, Wendy Duggan, 38, Max Feetham, 34, Mark Wilson, 34 and Maxine Gregory, 33, all of Grenoside, are close friends of Steve's and arrange the race.
Steve said: "I'm so fortunate to be able to do what I do and it always feels really good to hand over donations to the charity and see how they help the lives of patients.
"It makes me feel quite speechless to see people of such a young age dealing with such a horrific thing – it's very humbling.
"We all got together because some of my close friends and their families have been affected by cancer and treated at the hospital. I'm happy to help out and use my name to give something back to the community."
The group talked to patients at the unit and saw how their funding has been used to provide items such as plasma TVs, chairs, games consoles and a juke box.
Cat Newman of the Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity said: "Not only do they raise a lot of money but they produce an extremely fun and exciting event."
There will be no Wharncliffe Weekender this year to avoid a clash with the Cliffhanger outdoors festival in Millhouses Park. But Steve said it will return in 2011 "bigger and better".
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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