The Ride is non-profit making, run by volunteers and exists to raise money for local charities.
Each rider must raise a minimum of £30 sponsorship (or sponsor themselves for a minimum of £30), and all sponsorship monies must be paid on the day, in cash or by cheque with valid bank card.
Over the years the Ride has been running, our riders have raised in the region of £250,000 for charities.
The beneficiaries of the 2012 Ride will be as follows:
Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund
The RAF Benevolent Fund is the RAF’s leading welfare charity and is there to provide financial, practical and emotional support to members of the RAF family, from childhood through to old age.
The fund relies on donations to continue its work, and is very pleased that Group Captain Elliot, Station Commander RAF Halton, has kindly agreed that the proceeds from this year’s Vale of Aylesbury Sponsored Ride should be donated to the Fund.
Action4Youth
Offers support and guidance to youth clubs in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes by providing services and activities designed to make youth work in affiliated clubs as effective as possible, as well as offering advice and training for club leaders and management committees.
The Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust
Based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, the Air Ambulance operates seven days a week in daylight hours. It carries life saving equipment and is crewed by a pilot and two paramedics. The paramedics are provided by the NHS; all other costs are funded by the Trust. One in every eight incidents attended by the Thames Valley and Chiltern Air Ambulance is a riding accident, so helping fund the continued operation of the ambulance is important to all riders.
Chilterns MS Centre
The Chilterns MS Centre in Halton provides a range of drug-free symptom management therapies (including physiotherapy, high density oxygen treatment, lymphoedema massage, reflexology, wheelchair training and dietary recommendations) as well as advice and support for all those with multiple sclerosis and their families. The Centre operates primarily on donations, so the money you raise is especially important.
The Riding for the Disabled Assocation
The Riding for the Disabled Association helps over 24,000 children and adults in the UK to ride, offering them the chance to regain mobility and a sense of achievement.
www.riding-for-disabled.org.uk
Make a Special Kid Smile
MASKS was formed in May 2005 and is a registered charity. It is committed to supporting Booker Park and Stocklake Park Schools, part of the Vale Federation of Special Schools, to achieve their aims to improve and advance the education and lives of children with special needs.
The Kimblewick Hunt
Many of the staff who make the ride run smoothly on the day – mounted and foot stewards, office staff, check point officials – are volunteers from the Kimblewick Hunt. Without their help we couldn’t run the ride.