Tour de Foyle charity cycle and Family Fun Cycle

Tour de Foyle: Bishop Donal McKeown, Rev Peter Murray, Liam Milligan, Phelim McBrearty, Bishop Ken Good, Rev Lindsay Blair and Fr Michael Canny.

The leaders of the Churches in the City recently invited people to ‘get on their bikes’ and participate in the ‘Tour de Foyle’ on Saturday, August 23.

Organisers say they are delighted with the response and level of interest in the event and are extending the registration period up until the day of the event itself. Participants are asked to assemble for registration at Ebrington Square at 7.30am. Entrance to the event via St Columb’s Road at site of the recently removed The Venue, where parking will be available, or via the Peace Bridge.

The event involves encouraging cyclists to undertake a scenic lap of Lough Foyle, 50 miles approximately. Leaving Ebrington Square, participants will cycle to Magilligan and after a brief stop will then board the ferry to Greencastle. The route will then take them back to the city crossing the Peace Bridge before arriving at the finish, in St Columb’s Park.

The idea is simply to bring people together from all of the communities across the city and beyond in a united effort to raise some money for two very worthy local causes. It is a fun event and open to everyone from the beginner to the more experienced cyclist alike, with the main emphasis on taking part.

In addition to the Tour de Foyle is the Family Fun Cycle and Picnic in the Park, being held alongside the main event in a bid to encourage wider participation from all age groups. The Family Fun Cycle will begin at Ebrington Square and finish in St Columb’s Park. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic with them, and enjoy having this together after their cycle whilst awaiting the arrival back into the Park of those participating in the bigger ‘Tour De Foyle’. The idea is to have a ‘welcoming committee’ for the ‘Tour’ cyclists as they cross the finishing line.

Participants are asked to assemble for registration at Ebrington Square at 11am. Entrance to the event again via St Columb’s Road at site of the recently removed Venue, where parking will be available, or via the Peace Bridge.

Those taking part in the ‘Tour de Foyle’ or the ‘Family Fun Cycle and Picnic in the Park’ will be helping people in the community who are experiencing difficult times in their lives and who are working with the help of our charities to get things back on track.

The charity events will help the North West Methodist Mission, which has been providing services to homeless men for 80 years and prides itself on helping service users help themselves.

It will also help the Churches Trust ‘Pantry Project’. The Churches’ Trust is an interdenominational organisation established by the leaders of Christian churches to respond to deprivation in the area. Among the many projects of the Churches’ Trust is the Pantry Project, a food bank established to provide an emergency response to feed families and individuals who have reached a temporary crisis situation.