Mid-life cyclists limber
up for a 250 mile ‘Tour de pays de Galles’ to raise church funds
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a six pack and their bikes pledge to ride across Wales to raise funds for Shirenewton’s Church extension
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Shirenewton, UK – April
5th 2004
– Shirenewton Church, a local village church in South East Wales which recently launched
a revolutionary website and shopping portal, is announcing another ambitious
fund raising event. A team of six with an average age of a shade under 50, the
so called ‘Mid Life Cyclists’, will be undertaking a sponsored cycle ride from
St Davids in West Wales to Shirenewton, in order to raise funds for their new
village church extension.
Unlike many
churches today, Shirenewton Church is expanding and has advanced plans to build an extension to meet
this welcome growth. The Shirenewton community considers its church to be more
than a place of worship, locating it at the centre of an active village
cultural scene. The church hosts concerts, plays and many other activities,
which can be so popular that the result is standing room only.
As part of a
broader range of fund raising activities, the mid-life cyclists will be
completing both the Taff and the Celtic Trails, their own ‘Tour de pays de
Galles’. The 55 mile Taff trail from Brecon to Cardiff is the ‘warm up’ to the
main event, which is the ‘bum numbing’ 200+ miles Celtic Trail that runs from
Wales’ most westerly point at St Davids, to Chesptow in the East.
Mark Broughton,
the team leader and organiser, said “We are hoping to make a significant
contribution to the cost of the new extension by completing our own long
distance tour of Wales. You could say that we are fighting the male menopause for a good
cause!”
David Cornwell,
the Church’s Webmaster, and at 45 years old, the ‘baby’ of the team said “It’s
nothing if not ambitious. I’m not a keen cyclist and firmly believe that if the
good Lord had wanted us to cycle he wouldn’t have invented the motor car. I
reckon with training and the main events combined, I will have cycled something
like 500 miles by the time its over and probably will never want to see a
bicycle again! Needless to say, I’ll be posting regular updates and photos to
the church website so keep your eye on www.shirenewtonchurch.org.uk.”
About ShirenewtonChurch
The Church of St. Thomas a’
Becket Shirenewton has existed since approximately 1220 and was constructed by
the fifth Humphrey de Bohun - the first Humphrey de Bohun, having come over
from Normandy with William the Conqueror, his cousin. The Church was dedicated to
St.
Thomas a Becket, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury who was murdered in his
Cathedral in 1170.
The last major
renovation of the Church was 150 years ago. The new extension is needed to
improve its facilities to comply with forthcoming European legislation & to
provide accommodation and modern facilities that can be used by the Sunday
School, Youth Group, church meetings and local club and society meetings. The
project is expected to cost in the order of £150,000 and local fund raising
needs to reach a target of over £75,000. To date £35,000 has been raised.
Editors notes:
There are photos
of the church available at http://www.shirenewtonchurch.org.uk
All photos on the website may be re-produced in print.
Photos of the church should be credited to Barbra Davies.
Photos of the Tour de Pays de Galles should be credited to David
Cornwell.
For further information contact the Webmaster
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