Pedal power to raise charity cash

Pedal power to raise charity cash

6 June 2007

Sheffield property developer Mark Dransfield has joined forces with his Hull based brother Paul to lead a team undertaking a gruelling London to Paris cycle ride to raise thousands of pounds for Sheffield Children’s Hospital, the British Heart Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. 

Covering 300 kilometers over three days, the 17 strong team of amateur cyclists from Sheffield and Hull are on target to raise over £30,000 for the three charities.

The group will set off from London’s Tower Bridge on Thursday morning at 8.00 am and travel towards the south coast through Reigate, Lewes and the South Downs before arriving at the Newhaven Ferry Crossing.  After crossing the channel, the group will once again mount their cycles for the short ride to Dieppe where they will stay overnight.

Day two of the ride will take them from Dieppe to Beauvais, travelling through the rural villages and medieval market towns of Northern France and passing the famous battlefields of the Somme and Agincourt.

The final leg of the challenge on day three will see a transition from a rural landscape to the sprawling metropolis of Paris – through the suburbs, across the Seine into the Bois de Bologne and along the Champs Elysee, before arriving at the Eiffel Tower by mid-afternoon on the Saturday.

Mark, who lives Sheffield, is Managing Director of Dransfield Properties.  The company specialises in delivering retail led urban regeneration schemes, and is currently involved in multi-million pound projects in Penistone, Gainsborough, Manchester and Morpeth.

Paul heads up PDR Construction which is one of the largest independent construction firms in the North of England with a national portfolio of industrial and commercial clients, including Porsche, Audi and BMW.

If you would like to sponsor Mark or watch the team’s daily progress, log on to www.dransfield.co.uk.

Joining the Sheffield half of the team will be;

• David Vernon-Edwards, Director of Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity,
• Peter Crossland, Partner at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors,
• Dr Mark Yardley, Clinical Director of Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery at the Hallamshire Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield
• Dr Manad Sammat from the Hallamshire Hospital
• Mick Cropper, Managing Director of AL Joinery
• James Burdall, Managing Director of Unite Clothing.

Mark Dransfield said: “The London to Paris cycle ride will present some challenges with long days in the saddle and some exhausting hill climbs, but it is for some very worthy causes.  I will be raising money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital which is pioneering some of the latest techniques in treating young patients and the  charity provides the 'extras' that help to keep this leading establishment at the forefront of paediatric medicine.”

Paul Dransfield added:  “Both the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the British Heart Foundation are charities close to my heart as I have friends who have received tremendous  support from these two organisations.  Taking part in the London to Paris ride is my way of giving something back, and securing funds which will help them to continue their valuable work.”

For further information, contact:

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