Fifteen years after Norwood first pioneered the concept of the charity bike ride with a trip to Israel, 20 more intrepid fundraisers returned to the Holy Land from 14-21 October for Norwood’s Israel Bike Ride 2007. They began their challenge from the Golan Heights plateau and proceeded to cycle more than 280km over five days before finishing in the coastal town of Caesarea. The event raised an amazing £40,000 for Norwood, the UK’s leading Jewish charity for children and families.
Much of the ride took place off-road through tricky, mountainous terrain, in hot conditions. The cyclists rode to the top of Mount Meron, the highest mountain in the Galilee, then via the beautiful Carmel Mountains to the coast. In addtion to mountains and valleys, the route also took in archaeological sites, forests, nature reserves and ancient battle grounds.
Once again, some of the participants rode on tandems alongside adults with a learning disability. Two riders, Martin Weiss and John Feutchwanger, live at Ravenswood Village, Norwood’s residential community in Berkshire for people with learning disabilities. All the fundraisers were awarded certificates at the end of the ride and, in addition, Martin and John received medals in recognition of their achievements
Judith Barnett, Challenges Manager at Norwood, was delighted with the ride’s success. She said: “This was a tough challenge across mountainous terrain and everyone felt a great sense of achievement at the end. It was wonderful once again to have some of our service users on the ride. They had a fantastic time and their presence served to remind everyone around them exactly why they do these Challenges for Norwood”.
Norwood’s next international bike ride will be in Vietnam/Cambodia during November 2007. Highlights of next year’s Challenges Calendar include a fantastic Las Vegas/Death Valley Bike Ride from 2-10 March 2008 and a China Bike Ride in October/November 2008.
To find out more about any of Norwood’s challenges, call the Norwood Challenges Team on 020 8420 6834, email challenges@norwood.org.uk or log on to www.norwood.org.uk/challenges
For further information please contact David Wosner, Public Relations Officer at Norwood on 020 8420 6942 or email david.wosner@norwood.org.uk
