It’s “hip hip hooray” for charity ‘handle-bar helpers’ as Action Medical Research holds a riverside party to honour their fund-raising cyclists on Sunday 7th May 2006. The UK charity is thanking last summer’s Action 100 Bike Ride participants and helpers, who completed the annual pedal from Bristol and Bath to London. This year’s newly signed up riders will also be invited to join in for a small fee (£10) to help the Jubilee Year celebrations kick off in style.

To celebrate their Silver Jubilee the organisers are inviting guests to the stunning Boat House pub restaurant near Bath, offering the chance to relax and unwind whilst enjoying the glorious Mendip Hills location. Guests of honour will include Lewis Coghlin, Head of Fundraising for Action Medical Research, and amputee Mike Pope, who completed the ride in 2004. For those who like to get some exercise in before lunch, there will be a group leaving for a brisk ride from Bristol - 12 miles along the lovely bike path that very morning.

Regional Fundraising Manager, Jennifer Reid, said: “We all want to say thank you to those who have worked so hard to make this ride a success. Many riders enjoy the challenge so much that they ride year after year. It’s a small, but fun, token of appreciation.”

The party is a great chance to catch up with fellow cyclists and to sign up for the ride in 2006. Last year’s riders raised an outstanding £62,000 in sponsorship which will provide vital funding for the organisation’s groundbreaking research into areas like stroke, premature birth, and osteoporosis. The charity is hoping to break last year’s fantastic total by recruiting 750 riders and raising over £75,000.

For more information on the Action 100 Bike Ride, or the Boathouse party, readers should contact Jennifer Reid at Action Medical Research on 0117 935 5040 or email her on jreid@action.org.uk.

ENDS