Seventy-five Cycle Coast to Coast For Good Causes
From Arran to Aberdeen, 75 cyclists will pedal over 250 miles to raise more than £200,000 for some of Scotland’s most deserving causes. It is the 11th annual coast-to-coast ride organised by BP employees, who have now raised over £1.4m for charity.
Started over a decade ago among 20 of BP’s 1,200 Aberdeen-based employees, the annual event was initiated to help a colleague with a degenerative disease. Participation has grown and grown, with riders now additionally drawn from BP retirees and allied companies. The ride has encouraged many people to take up cycling for the first time and all the riders have been training hard throughout the winter to be ready for this challenge.
Leaving Arran on Friday 31st May 2019, the riders, all wearing team kit, will cross over to the Mull of Kintyre, ride up the side of Loch Fyne and overnight in Inverarnan. They will ride up the side of Loch Tay on day two, stopping at Glenshee, and complete their journey passing through Braemar and Royal Deeside.
Each year, any of the riders can submit charities to support. This year’s fund will go to Prostate Scotland, Streetwork, Aberdeen Foyer, Mental Health Aberdeen, and Gravitate North East.
One of the ride organiser’s Giles Mackey had very personal reasons for putting forward Prostate Scotland.
“Eighteen months ago my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer” he says. “Thankfully, the condition was caught early and all the signs are that his treatment has been successful. It underlined to me, however, just how important is prostate awareness. I want more men to get checked early and raising funds for Prostate Scotland seemed like a great way to make sure that happens”.
Prostate Scotland director, Adam Gaines says: “The BP Coast 2 Coast is a tremendous initiative for its fund-raising work and getting more people on their bikes. We are delighted to have been chosen as one of the beneficiary charities of this brilliant initiative, alongside our fellow beneficiary charities. Prostate Scotland is enormously grateful to all the riders for putting so much effort into both their physical preparation and collecting sponsorship. Survival rates from prostate cancer are improving all the time and raising money and awareness can only improve that situation. The funds raised in aid of us will enable us to extend our information activities including producing vital special information packs for men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer.’
Notes for editors:
Each rider is expected to raise around £1,000 in personal sponsorship. Additional funds are generated through collections, tombolas and social events. BP matches the money raised by individuals. If you wish to contribute, you can do so here:
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/BPC2C11
There are 75 riders this year with five support crew, the largest number to date. There are 53 current BP employees, 12 retirees and 10 from other companies including Cairn Energy and Conoco. Just under half are new riders and approximately 25% are women.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer amongst men in Scotland, with a lifetime chance of one in ten men developing it[i]. There were over 33,258 new registrations of men with prostate cancer between 2005 and 2015 and 9,316 deaths of men in Scotland from prostate cancer during that period.[ii]. In 2016 in Scotland 3,167 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 894 men died from it[iii]. Encouragingly survival rates amongst men with prostate cancer have doubled over the past two decades with 84% of men with prostate cancer now surviving it[iv]. Projections by the NHS show that the diagnosis of men with prostate cancer is likely to rise by up to 35% between now and 2027[v].
Prostate Scotland was set up in 2006 as a Scottish charity to develop awareness of prostate disease, to support men and their families/ partners with the disease through providing advice and information and to advance treatment and research into prostate disease. Its aim is to reach out across Scotland to create greater awareness amongst men and their families/partners about prostate disease and to advance treatment. It has established an award winning website www.prostatescotland.org.uk providing a wide range of information about prostate disease and treatments, as well as providing information and advice about prostate disease to men and their families across Scotland. In 2010 the charity won a national award for its impact on community health and in 2013 and 2015 was commended in the British Medical Association Patient Information Awards, and in 2017 was awarded Scottish health charity of the year. Prostate Scotland is a registered Scottish charity No.SC037494
Prostate Scotland: 01316038660 or info@prostatescotland.org.uk
The other charities’ contact details are as follows:
Streetwork: www.streetwork.org.uk and our freephone number 0808 178 2323
Mental Health Aberdeen www.mha.uk.net 01224 590510