HENRY READY TO RACE TO HELP CHILDREN'S HOSPICE Date : 01.05.08
A Bath student is gearing up to celebrate the end of his exams by cycling from one end of the UK to the other - in just five days.While most teenagers will be giving themselves a well-earned break, Henry Page will be pedalling up the pounds for CHASE, a children's hospice in Guildford. The 16-year-old Monkton Combe pupil is part of an eight-strong team taking part in the sponsored cycle ride, Race for CHASE in memory of toddler Fraser Russell. The riders will set off from Land's End on June 29 and make their way to Bristol, notching up about 200 miles on the first leg of their journey alone. From then on the team will average about 180 miles a day. Henry will be joined by his 45-year-old father Simon on the ride, making the pair the oldest and youngest members of the convoy.
They have been inspired to push themselves to the limit to raise money for the charity because of the support it has provided for team member Iain Russell and his wife Julie, from Guildford. The couple's son, Fraser, died at the age of two-and-a-half last year because of a rare genetic disorder. Henry said he was keen to do his bit to help support such a worthy cause. "Children's hospices receive no Government funding and therefore the £3.5 million needed to run CHASE each year must be found through donations and sponsored events," he said. "CHASE supported Ian, Julie and Fraser through his life completely free, as it does with every family. "They not only supported Fraser medically but helped the family on a more personal level as well." Henry, who is gearing up to take his GCSEs this summer, said he felt the ride was the perfect way to mark the end of his exams. "Everyone else is going to be partying and I will be cycling the length of the UK. "I am really looking forward to it. It is something not everyone will be able to say they have done, cycling about 860 miles in five days at the age of 16." To make a donation, visit http://www.justgiving.com/ theraceforchase.
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