Cycle festival in aid of cancer charity

Organised by Ashley Green, the sixth Ludlow Cycling Festival will raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The start point is from Ludlow Rugby Club on Sunday (22), and at 8.30am the serious riders will start the South Shropshire Tors 30/60/106k sportive heading out into the stunning hills, with stops in Newcastle-on- Clun and Aston-on-Clun, finishing back at the Rugby Club later in the day. There will be a 35k guided Corvedale Ride for intermediate riders which will break in Bouldon for a lunch stop. The 11k family ride aimed at young families and new riders will leave at 10.30am riding through the peaceful lanes of the Plymouth Estate.

At 1pm there will be a Grass Track racing competition featuring eight teams of four from South Shropshire Primary Schools competing in four events for the trophy supplied by ClubSport of Ludlow. Ludlow bike shop Pearce Cycles will be running a Turbo Trainer Time Trial and Scrappies of Church Stretton will be there offering creative crafts to children. Activities also include a bouncy castle and face-painting, plus music from Sunshine Radio and Cleobury Mortimer Concert Brass band. There will also be a BBQ and lots of homemade cakes, the Shropshire Ice Cream Company.

Ashley was first diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in the roof of his mouth in 1991, at the age of 21, which was successfully treated. In early 2011 he noticed a swollen gland under his ear and went to his GP who later confirmed the cancer had returned. He underwent eight hours of surgery, which resulted in temporary paralysis of the right side of his face, followed by six weeks of radiotherapy at The Royal Marsden in London. Ashley believes Macmillan were essential to help him and his family get through their difficult times: “Macmillan gave me a grant to help with travel costs when I was having my treatment over 150 miles away in London, helped us find our way through our financial worries, gave us psychological counselling to help deal with our fears of cancer and for the future, and organised rapid pain relief prescriptions from the local GP. The Cycling Festival will be a fantastic day out for the whole family, and will raise money to help cancer patients in Shropshire.”

Kate Thomas fundraising manger for Macmillan in Shropshire added: “Ashley is an absolute inspiration, he has received fantastic support from Macmillan Shropshire, but he wants to repay this and how fitting that he has chosen to do something he is passionate about to raise money. South Shropshire is such a stunning location, and I know the event is going to be a huge success once again. All the money raised from this event will be spent in Shropshire on local services for people affected by cancer.”

Full details can be found on their website ludlowcyclingfestival.co.uk and on their Facebook and Twitter pages.