The Lakes Free Range Egg Company is delighted to announce we are the main sponsor for the BEEP Doctors Cumbria Cycling Challenge.

As if once wasn’t enough, a team of BEEP Doctors and friends are taking on the challenge of cycling around Cumbria, for the second year in a row.

On Friday 29th July the team will set off from Penrith and cover the 260-mile journey around the county over four days, arriving back at BEEP Headquarters on Tuesday 3rd August.

In 2021 six cyclists raised over £2000 for the BEEP Doctors charity, but with sponsorship from The Lakes Free Range Egg Co Ltd in 2022, the team hopes to smash their previous amount and raise even more vital funds, which will go towards this year’s fundraising campaign to purchase four new emergency vehicles.

The cycling challenge is part of a fundraising push from the charity, who are embarking on a month-long summer roadshow, which began its tour on the 27th June.  The roadshow car and trailer will support the cycle team on part of their route, before heading to the Cockermouth Show on Saturday 30th July and then to various other events and shows around the county during July and August.

The cyclists will depart at 9am on the 29th July from Penrith, at their headquarters on Cromwell Road, before heading through Appleby, down to Ulverston via Kendal, over to Gosforth, then on to Silloth, up to Carlisle and Brampton and back to Penrith finishing on Tuesday 3rd August.

Route:

Day 1: Penrith HQ to Dent via Langwathby, Dufton, Appleby to Sedbergh

Day 2: Sedbergh to Ulverston, stopping at Ye Olde Fleece in Kendal, for lunch;

Day 3: Ulverston to Gosforth;

Day 4: Gosforth to Silloth;

Day 5: Silloth to Bowness/Carlisle/Brampton and back to Penrith.

People from across the county have been offering support in terms of stop off points for lunch and accommodation to the team, and the cyclists are hoping to rally support and raise more money along the way.

In 2021, the team endured soaring temperatures during their challenge, as the UK baked in a heat wave.

Dr Theo Weston, Chair of the BEEP Doctors charity and lead cyclist commented,

“Last year really was a challenge for all of us who took on the cycle ride.  Not only did we have to ride 260 miles, but the heat was unbearable, so we’re hoping for cooler temperatures this time around.  However, this year we have taken things up a notch with sponsorship and support from lots of Cumbrian organisations.  We’ve also got the roadshow taking place alongside us too, so we hope to really increase awareness of the charity and raise lots of money too!”

In 2021, the BEEP Doctors team raised over £145,000 for essential life saving equipment for the charity.  This year their target is to raise £250,000 to ensure the future sustainability of the charity and raise funds for four new emergency vehicles.

Dr Weston, continues, “Over the years our charity has expanded to reach all corners of Cumbria, which is why we decided to cycle around the county. The charity began in 1994 with 3 doctors, now we have 11 doctors who cover the whole of Cumbria.  This means our costs have gone up, as each doctors needs equipment and specialist training to ensure we can provide the best pre-hospital care to patients.”

Working closely with the Ambulance Service and Great North Air Ambulance, the BEEP doctors provide specialist emergency pre-hospital care and intervention previously only available once a patient reaches hospital.  That could be on the roadside at the scene of a road traffic accident or during a life-threatening emergency.  The doctors are all unpaid, on call 24/7 and are not funded by the NHS, so donations, fundraising events and grants keep the charity going and to buy the vital equipment they need.

The Lakes Free Range Egg Company (The Lakes) is delighted to be a key sponsor of the Beep Doctors bike ride. Helen Brass, Company Secretary at The Lakes said

“We all know how important the first hour is when there is a medical emergency, so it’s very reassuring to have the Beep Doctor team on call. They now cover the whole of Cumbria which is a huge task in such a rural county. They were originally set up in Eden over 25 years ago, pretty much at the same time we began packing eggs, so we’ve seen how much they have achieved since those very early days.

As an industry, farming has a very high accident rate, and being so rural, it is good to know that our farming communities can call on Beep teams on for emergency medical aid, and in Eden, it’s reassuring to have a team on the doorstep.

We’re also very pleased that they have agreed to come to The Lakes’ packing centre, to provide basic first aid training for some of our staff – something we all need in our everyday lives. Whilst none of The Lakes’ team has needed their assistance, it’s good to know it’s there if we ever do need it.”

The BEEP Doctors are welcoming anyone else who would like to join them on the cycle ride, for the whole or just part of their journey and for anyone to support them along the way or even “BEEP” their horn if they see them out on the road.

If you would like to donate you can via the link below.  All donations will go towards running costs and our campaign to raise £250,000 in 2022 Link to Beep’s Just Giving cycle ride page

More info: During 2021 the BEEP team of dedicated doctors attended a total of 350 emergency callouts across Cumbria, from as far north as Longtown, to Egremont in the west, Millom in the south and up to Nenthead in the east.

BEEP Doctors bike ride sponsored by The Lakes Free Range Egg Co