Marking 10 years since Only Fools and Donkeys’ first charity bike ride, this June 53 riders took to their bikes for Mule D’Ane-versaire, cycling a combined total of over 25,000 miles.
The trip took the riders from St Malo through Vitre, Nantes, Saine Nazaire and Rennes before heading back to St Malo – a nod to the first ride back in 2014, Mule Bretagne.
“We are thrilled to announce that we have raised £61,677 from this summer’s ride, which has hugely exceeded our expectations” said Sharon Parr, Chair of Only Fools and Donkeys (OF&D) Board. “Our Mules are the most fantastic bunch of people and as well as covering some significant miles they have worked so hard to raise money through cakes sales, turbo sessions at supermarkets, meat draws and bingo nights. It’s an amazing amount of money which we can make a real difference with.”
The charity has been working for the last year with Wheels for You, whose mission is to make cycling opportunities accessible to individuals who are unable to ride two-wheeled bicycles. They hold cycling sessions on a Sunday morning at Les Beaucamps School with a number of adapted bikes which suit a variety of needs. OF&D purchased a Fun 2 Go side by side tandem trike after their 2022 Mule Aquitaine ride, which is now used at the Wheels For You sessions, and committed to buy two more adapted bikes with the funds from this year’s ride.
“Each adapted bike suits different needs and we are funding a Velo Plus and a Maxi Comfort Tricycle. Adding two more to the Wheel For You stock will allow so many more people to have the opportunity to experience the joy of cycling,” said Matt Collas, Board member of OF&D. “Having staged five charity bike rides, it’s something we feel very passionately about and are fortunate enough to take for granted.”
Money has been allocated to meet ongoing commitments such as the Headway Buddy Scheme, which encourages and enables their members to exercise; the sponsorship of Le Murier’s Everest Challenge so all money raised can go towards the school’s residential programme; purchase of sails and life jackets for the Guernsey Sailing Trust’s sailability and inclusion groups; ice skating for students from Le Rondin and Le Murier; as well as the annual Afternoon of Christmas.
“We are also talking to a number of charities we’ve not worked with before to see how we can support them and will be continuing our support of Autism Guernsey.” said Ray Smart, co-founder of OF&D. “We’re always looking for new projects, so if anyone is working with a charity or association that has a sport or activity that encourages inclusivity and enables those who would not normally be able to participate to do so, we’d love to hear from you. We’re also very happy to fund the dull stuff which is often hard to secure funding for but where you can make a big difference.”
