Vincents Solicitors’ Lytham office came out in support of an epic fundraiser by a St Annes church.
Led by Reverend Stephen Heath of the Church Road Methodist Church, the Six Counties Bike Ride took nine intrepid cyclists and their four-strong support crew on a 360-mile journey via Carlisle, Durham, York and Leeds this weekend. The challenge hopes to raise £10,000 for both Trinity Hospice and to create a full time Community Hub project based at the church.
Vincents Solicitors is among 15 businesses to donate to support the ride and the fundraising effort. Vincents’ Lytham office head Chris Mathews waved the official flag to send them on their way, and again four days later to welcome home the team to a reception at the Dalmeny Hotel on St Annes Prom along with Fylde Mayor Councillor Peter Collins.
The Community Hub will make use of some currently underused space at the Church Road Methodist Church, and the buildings are to be renovated to create a café, community space and meeting rooms. When complete Fylde foodbank will return to the church from its temporary premises. The building will also house Wesley’s Community Café, which was trialled last year, providing healthy, affordable meals, cookery classes and companionship.
Chris Mathews said: “I’ve known Stephen for years and he is tireless in his ambition to help people. He’s told me about the genuine difference the cafe made to people during the trial, giving many something to look forward to and getting them out of the house, or helping them to learn to cook and feed their family on a budget. It’s such a compelling story that you can’t help but want to get involved and we will be looking at what else Vincents can do to support this innovative and exciting project in the future.
“We’re also delighted to be contributing towards fundraising for Trinity Hospice. Our business has offices across Lancashire and is keen to support the local hospice in each local area. These organisations play an important role in our communities and deserve all our support.”
The Community Hub and Wesley’s Café will provide a meeting place for anyone from the local community, such as the playgroup and choir which already meet at the church, plus youth groups and senior clubs. The ambition is that it will also help to tackle a variety of issues including social isolation and food poverty, and help people access other services.
Rev Stephen Heath said: “We ran the café last year and it proved incredibly popular, so we decided to upgrade the buildings to create a bigger community hub and expand what we’re offering. I have people stopping me on the street to ask when the café will reopen, to which I answer ‘as soon as possible’ so we’re busy raising funds to complete the building works and kit out the whole place.
“The bike ride aims to raise more than £10,000 and we’ve been so pleased with the support we have received from many local businesses. With their donations we can get the community hub up and running sooner rather than later, bringing people together and providing those who need extra support with the help they need.
“We’re also supporting Trinity Hospice which is an organisation that touches everybody across the Fylde coast. The service it provides is priceless, but it costs many millions of pounds to run, and so regular fundraising is vital.
“The ride was hard work, especially in the heat and with 17,000ft of hills in total, but the guys did a fantastic job and we’re so proud of them.”
Businesses which have sponsorsed include: Apple Bikes, Barnetts at Inn on the Prom, Bushell & Benstead, Chartered Surveyors, Cooksons Transport, Dalmeny Resort Hotel, Fylde Coast Window Cleaners, G-Line Holidays, D Hollowells & Sons, Funeral Directors, Mark Rae Funeral Directors, Roland L Whitehead & Daughter Funeral Directors, Stephen Taylor Opticians, Stirk House Hotel, Tyson Construction, Vincents, Solicitors, Whitehead & Howarth Chartered Accountants.
