Tour de Connor riders raise £35k for cancer charity

The Rev Bill Boyce, rector of St Brigid's, his curate, the Rev Andrew Ker, and parishioner Sam Cunningham cycled 351 miles over six days in June, calling at every single church in the Diocese of Connor.

They were accompanied on the road by a hardworking and dedicated support team, and were joined by other cyclists at different stages.

As well as raising money for the Friends of the Cancer Centre, the cycle was also a tribute to Bill's wife Sandra, who died on June 6 last year after her own battle with cancer, and a way of remembering other loved ones.

At every stop the cyclists picked up a List of Remembrance containing the names of those cancer victims remembered in each parish. The end result was a Book of Remembrance containing literally hundreds of names which was dedicated by the Archbishop of Armagh at a Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving at St Brigid's.

Gordon McKeown, Chairman of the Friends of the Cancer Centre, said the amount of money raised by the Tour de Connor team had been "absolutely fantastic".

"In the current times and with the state of the health service and the fact that budgets have been cut this money has great significance," he said. "The 35,000 will be used directly for the care of cancer patients in Northern Ireland. The team has done a fantastic job."

The Rev Andrew Ker, who was the brains behind the route and the finely tuned schedule, said it had been a "spectacular" week.

"It was wonderful. The miles disappeared under our wheels. Each morning it was tough going for an hour or so and then we just settled into our rhythm and got on with it."

Sam Cunningham said the challenge had been fantastic. "The thing that stands out for me was the friendliness and the generosity of the people we met along the way. Some of the donations were amazing," he said.

Rev Boyce said that the challenge had left him "exhausted but elated."

"All the churches changed and the accents changed but the people did not. They were all the same in their welcome and generosity. The people of Connor Diocese are wonderful. We were just so bowled over by their friendliness, generosity of spirit and financial generosity," he added.

Donations can still be made towards the cyclists' efforts by calling the Friends of the Cancer Centre on 9069 9393 or by logging on to www.justgiving.com/Bill-Boyce