A SPONSORED bicycle ride organised by the newly-elected president of the Algarve 41 club has raised 5,000 euros for a Silves-based charity.
Stephen Grady cycled from Valencia in Spain to Albufeira in May, accompanied by fellow cyclist and 41 Club member Roger How and aided by Sam Cross, who drove behind the pair in a support vehicle.
The money raised has gone to the charity Castelo de Sonhos in Silves. Stephen told The Resident: “The first time I met Liliana Rodrigues from Castelo de Sonhos, I was so impressed with her determination to help less privileged people that I just knew I had to do something to help her.”
Sponsorship was raised through a competition to guess how many kilometres were cycled. In the end, Stephen and Roger rode a total of 1,417 km. The total was boosted by public donations at each venue where they stopped en route.
Riding bikes that weighed less than five kilos each, the pair encountered no mechanical failures or accidents, just a few punctures, but found their map “utterly useless” and the satnav system “totally confused”.
Guided eventually by a trusty compass, they struggled north, fighting off dogs on dirt roads until finally locating the ferry to Ayamonte and then reaching their destination in Albufeira on Wednesday, May 16 after 14 days in the saddle.
Liliana Rodrigues, head of the charity, accepted a cheque for 5,000 euros from Club 41 at the celebratory lunch on July 3 at the Mato da Vista Restaurant near Messines and thanked the club for its help. Castelo de Sonhos supports individuals and families of all nationalities in finding accommodation, furniture, clothes and food and is due to open another office in Portimão.
Donations of items, especially furniture, are urgently required and will be gratefully received. Please telephone Liliana on 282 441 089 or 963 452 479.
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