Jewellers’ Cambridge-and-back bike ride raises almost £1,400 for Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund
Francesca Glos leads the fundraising team into Cambridge's Green Street. Picture: HKBJ - Credit: Archant
A team of jewellers completed a fundraising bike ride to Cambridge and back at the weekend in memory of a colleague’s late father.
The team start the last leg of the journey along the A10 cycle path. Picture: HKBJ - Credit: Archant
Francesca Glos, one of the designers at Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery near Weston, lost her father Rudi very suddenly to pancreatic cancer – just two weeks after he was diagnosed.
The 24-year-old’s colleagues at the firm in Halls Green came together on Sunday to support her in raising money for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund with a ride to and from Harriet Kelsall’s second location in Cambridge’s Green Street.
Twelve members of the team completed the 27.8-mile ride to Cambridge within three hours, and six then cycled back to Halls Green – covering 55.6 miles, further than two marathons.
The ride has raised almost £1,400 for the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund – and Francesca, from Bedford, told the Comet she felt very proud to have honoured her dad in this way.
The fundraising team at the start of the challenge, outside Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery's head office in Halls Green, near Weston. Left to right: Rebecca Barnes, Lucy Parker, Chloe Drake, April Page, Will Lander, Alice Rochester, Alec Page, Emilie Ouazan, Rachel McNerney, Bethanie Green, Francesca Glos and Rachel Hones. Picture: HKBJ - Credit: Archant
She said: “The cycle ride was such a great personal achievement for us all, and raising money for such an important cause made it all worthwhile.
“Pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of all cancers, yet despite this it has attracted little research funding in comparison with many other cancers. The Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund is dedicated exclusively to funding and promoting research that they hope will lead to the development of more effective detection, diagnosis and treatment.
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“Losing my dad to this awful cancer eight years ago has made me so determined to raise money for this charity, and with the help from all of my colleagues we’ve been able to raise more than what I could ever have hoped for.
“When we hit the 50-mile mark of the cycle ride, the wind was against us, as well as the hills – but looking up and seeing the determination of everyone in their red Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund T-shirts was so motivating, and truly displayed our amazing attitude and teamwork. I’m so proud of us all.”
The team at their destination in Cambridge's Green Street. Left to right: Alec Page, Rachel McNerney, Bethanie Green, Chloe Drake, Emilie Ouazan, Rachel Hones, Francesca Glos, April Page, Will Lander, Rebecca Barnes, Alice Rochester and Lucy Parker. Picture: HKBJ - Credit: Archant
A Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund spokesman said: “Congratulations to everyone at HK for your brilliant achievements – both cycling and fundraising – and thanks to everyone who sponsored so generously.
“We’re hugely grateful. With this support, we can fund more world-class research to save more lives.”
You can still support Francesca’s fundraising at justgiving.com/fundraising/marathon-riders.
