Linden Homes Duo Gearing Up For Gruelling 300-Mile Charity Cycle (Guildford)
27 Mar 2013

A cycling enthusiast who works for Linden Homes Guildford is preparing to embark on a gruelling 300-mile charity bike ride from London to Paris.

Chris Lary (31), who is a buyer and lives in Guildford, is aiming to raise £2,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation - a charity which grants magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions.

Chris will be pedalling alongside Ian Wilkins (44), from Shepperton, Surrey, who is a customer service manager for Linden Homes South East and is himself raising money for the Institute of Cancer Research.

They will set off on June 19th and hope to reach the French capital within three to four days. The first day will cover 98 miles, and Chris said: “I do look forward to a challenge but one thing I won’t be looking forward to is the early mornings!”

Chris is a dedicated fundraiser and has previously collected hundreds of pounds for other charities by skydiving and cycling the South Downs Way from Hampshire to East Sussex.

He said: “The challenge is a good excuse to train and the route will let us see parts of France you would not normally see. It’s going to be tough but it will also be a brilliant experience.

“The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a great charity which does wonderful work with children going through really tough times. It deserves as much support as it can get and any donation would be greatly appreciated.”

Ian added: “Covering between 80 to 100 miles a day will be difficult and if the weather is bad it’s going to be even harder. But it’s for two fantastic causes and I reckon our legs will ache a little bit less for every pound we raise for both our charities!”

Linden Homes Guildford managing director Peter Youll said: “I wish Chris and Ian the very best of luck training for what will be a big task. We’ll be backing them all the way and I’m delighted that Linden Homes’ employees are so keen to do their bit for the community.”

The team at Linden Homes Guildford will be doing their bit to swell the fundraising pot with a special Easter Bake Off on Thursday March 28th when all proceeds will go towards the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Since it was established in the UK in 1986 the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 8,300 wishes. This year it will be granting over 1,100 wishes, for which it needs to raise £7 million.

Ian’s charity, the Institute of Cancer Research, is a world leader in isolating cancer-related genes and discovering new targeted cancer drugs.

To contribute to Chris and Ian’s fundraising efforts go online to www.justgiving.com/Chris-Lary3 and www.justgiving.com/Ian-Wilkins.

-ENDS-

For further information, contact Sam Nickerson or Louise Perfect at Remarkable Public Relations on 01962 893 893 or email sam.nickerson@remarkablegroup.co.uk; louise.perfect@remarkablegroup.co.uk

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