Santas deliver fantastic gift to FORCE
FORCE has received an early Christmas present with the great news that last month’s Santa Cycle and Cruise has raised £6,529.49.
Two hundred cyclists, young and old, took part in the annual fundraiser, which helps the charity support local people affected by cancer.
Each rider donned a special Santa suit for the festive six-mile jaunt along the Exe Estuary Trail before a Stuart Line Cruise trip on the river back to their starting point.
Topsham schoolboy Josh Smith raised £312.50 (including Gift Aid) in sponsorship with some of the money coming from a bake sale. Friends and neighbours snapped up some delicious sweet treats to boost his fundraising efforts.
“Doing the cake sale was lots of fun. My favourite part was decorating the cakes! We got to raise lots of money by selling the cakes and then afterwards we delivered cakes around Topsham to people who couldn’t make it,” said Josh.
Helping
Charlotte Dooley and her family also took part. She explained: “For us, the purpose of taking part in the event was to teach our young boys about the importance of giving and helping people in need, especially at Christmas time. Christmas isn’t all about getting toys!
“The Santa Cycle was a fun way to get the boys involved with supporting a charity and being involved in a community event — to teach them that fundraising can be fun. They festively decorated their bikes and took them to school, wearing their Santa hats, to fundraise for FORCE.
“They really enjoyed doing this and were delighted to have raised £100 for FORCE. The Santa Cycle was a family-friendly fun event, which successfully introduced my children to the world of charitable giving. They thoroughly enjoyed it and we raised some funds for a fantastic charity in the process!”
The Santa Cycle has raised more than £48,000 since it was first established in 2013 and offers a great opportunity for families to launch their Christmas celebrations and support a fantastic cause at the same time.
Ho-ho-ho
Event organiser Chloe Richardson from FORCE said: “It was great to see so many happy ho-ho-hoing their way between Topsham and Exmouth.
“We were so glad to be able to run this event at full capacity after being forced to postpone in 2024 due to terrible winter storms.
“Thank you to Family Law for sponsoring the event and to Stuart Line Cruises and Bike Shed for their support.”
FORCE is a Devon charity providing free, face-to-face care and support for thousands of local people affected by cancer every year.
What makes FORCE stand out is our human and personalised approach, including the warmest of welcomes at our centres in Exeter, Ottery St Mary, Tiverton and Okehampton.
FORCE receives no NHS or Government funding and we need to raise £1.9 million every year to keep our services free to everyone who needs them.
