Back in May, the Charity brought you news of a team of cyclists from the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash Club (WLTSC) who were hoping to field the largest team in this year's Wolverhampton to Aberdovey Bike Ride. The team certainly delivered on their ambitious hopes and raised a staggering £8,258 to be split between the Giles Trust and the Cardiac department at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

An astonishing forty riders from the WLTSC took on the epic 105 mile cycle ride from Wolverhampton to the Welsh coastal town in June. Operations Manager Marc Hughes said: "Aberdovey was a great challenge, with WLTSC putting in the team with the most riders at the event. It was another real show of support from the club."

QEHB is close to the hearts of many of the riders from the WLTSC team. Popular former club member Robert Marshall was treated at the hospital before passing away in November 2017, and Ryan Hughes, nephew of Marc, was treated for a brain tumour. 

Ryan has made a fantastic recovery from his surgery and was able to join the riders for their cycling efforts alongside his dad Paul, and Marc. 

The team had a lot of support on the day from friends and family, and one particularly proud supporter was Emma Tilley who was cheering along her dad Dave. Emma, pictured above, was diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago at the age of 19, saying: "For the specialist treatment that I required, I could only go to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, and I was admitted to Ward 625 where I spent seven weeks receiving a stem cell transplant and a programme of intense chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

"The hospital has done so much for me, the staff are the reason why I am still here today. I am now in remission, and still go in for checks every few months. I was very proud that the club decided to support QEHB, and it was fantastic to see how everyone came together to do the ride to Aberdovey and raise such a large amount of money."

Fundraising Officer at QEHB Charity, Sophie Carroll, went along to meet the team from WLTSC and said: "Everyone at the Charity is in awe of the WLTSC team for their amazing fundraising efforts. It was fantastic that they managed to get together such a huge team of cyclists for the bike ride, and it's always special to hear people's personal motivation for fundraising.

"The money that the team have raised will help the Charity to fund research, provide cutting-edge equipment, and give 'added extras' to patients and staff at the hospital."

If you've been inspired by the team to take on a cycling or running event for the Charity, why not check out the events page by clicking here?

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