DPL cycle ride team raises thousands for chosen charities

DPL cycle ride team raises thousands for chosen charities

16 December 2013

Pedal power has raised more than £27,000 for local charities in an annual tour of Europe ride organised by the Barnsley based property developers Dransfield Properties Ltd.

A 16 strong team fielded by the South Yorkshire firm cycled 420 miles from Dubrovnik in Croatia to Trieste in Italy in September this year. The company covers a leg of its Tour of Europe every year after starting the charity cycle ride in 2007 when the riders covered a route from London to Paris.

Since the ride first started in 2007 more than £270,000 has been raised for charity and  around 2,500 miles have been cycled.

This year’s six day challenge was longer and tougher than previous years, but the riders are already planning next year’s route from Trieste to Munich with the aim of getting back to London by 2022 where the annual challenge started.

And the riders this year used their pedal power to raise money for a Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research project in Leeds and for St Andrew’s Children’s Hospice in Grimsby as well as supporting smaller community projects – a total of £27,651 was raised.

Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research has been one of the riders' chosen charities every year since the annual event was founded - this year helping to fund research at St James Hospital in Leeds.

The two main charities to benefit from the 2013 ride were presented with their cheques by some of the riders at a presentation held at Marshall’s Yard in Gainsborough – the award winning shopping centre is owned and managed by Dransfield Properties.

Mark Dransfield,  Managing Director of Dransfield Properties, said:   “This year certainly was a challenging ride, it was longer and tougher than previous years and everyone did really well to complete the challenge.

"We’d like to thank everyone who has sponsored and supported us so far, we really do appreciate every single penny that people donate towards our chosen charities.”

Picture shows riders Will and Tim Downing, Mark Dransfield and Dean Draper with Angela Greenfield from St Andrew’s Hospice and Caroline Draper and Sue Lucas from the local branch of Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

To see more pictures from this year’s Tour of Europe visit the Dransfield Properties website at www.dransfield.co.uk or you can like Team Dransfield on facebook or follow the cyclists on twitter @teamdransfield using  #tourofeurope2013.

Meet the team
From Sheffield: Mark Dransfield, David Simpson, Matthew Rigby, Chris Morrison, Alexander Prince, Philip Prince, Thomas Meagher, John White
From East Yorkshire:  Alec Cammish, Ian Etherington, and Chris Green
From Southport: Andrew Malley
From Lincolnshire: Dean Draper, Tim Downing and Will Downing
From London: Christian Cox

For further information, contact:

Public Relations Department, Dransfield Properties Ltd
Tel: 01226 360644
Email: pr@dransfield.co.uk