Pennies and Miles for Breast Cancer UK
The Belles have done it again.
This is now the fourth year the Belles have held a 'Charity Month', this year reverting to June. Although the aim is to raise money for a chosen charity, the chief objective is to pledge ourselves to ride an individually chosen number of miles during the month. There has always been a reason behind our choice and this time it has been Breast Cancer UK. Pennies were donated from many sources to the Just Giving page (currently standing at £951), but 24 members jointly pledged to ride 2400 miles and we managed 2977 miles with one or two promising to make up during their holidays in the following few days.
Flaming June it was not! We had a very short heatwave but more cold, rain and wind, than I'm sure we were entitled to. Nevertheless, being Belles, we just got on with it. All miles counted, whether mega outings or mere shopping trips, and were carefully recorded. Our leaders did what they could to put on a variety of rides, so all levels were covered and quite a lot of inventiveness came into it.
What did happen though was that women who for all sorts of reasons, who had been unable to cycle much over the last few months, dusted off their steeds and got out there. The incentive to fulfill their pledge was wonderful to see, and to me these are the ones to whom I raise my hat. Other than that, it has been an amazing month of everyone pulling together for one cause, the only competition being within their own heads.
I delighted in the irony of this combination. How I love being a Belle.