Lia’s Wings is the only aeroplane ambulance charity for children in the UK.

Named in memory of an amazing young girl, Emilia “Lia” Schoennagel, who tragically passed away in 2022, Lia’s Wings supports extremely premature babies and critically ill children when they are in urgent need of medical treatment or care that can’t be accessed locally.

The charity doesn’t receive any government or NHS funding to carry out its work, but instead relies on the generosity of its donors and the efforts of its supporters - including our cycle team - to ensure the charity has the funds needed to continue helping children and their families in times of urgent medical crisis.

Following on from last year’s inaugural Lia’s Wings Cycle ride  –  a very wet, windy, yet wonderful London to Paris challenge – the team is expanding their horizons, aiming to tackle a 200-mile route across several regions of Portugal. For 2025 we have even more cyclists in our team, taking on a (slightly) longer route, and pushing up a (few) more hills, for the most worthy of causes.

This year, the second instalment of what we now hope will be an annual "Ride for Lia" is going to be particularly meaningful. We will set off from London on the 24th of September, the date on which Lia sadly passed away, with cycling starting the morning of the 25th and ending on the 28th in the most special of places – Praia da Falesia, the beach Lia grew up on and the place she was at her happiest.

We hope that this challenge will be the perfect way for friends of and families touched by the charity to celebrate Lia’s short but impactful life, while also honouring all of the children and families that the charity has supported, and will continue to support.

Last year we smashed our fundraising target, and our goal is to fly even higher in 2025: our aim is to fund at least 10 life-saving or life-altering air ambulance flights!

It would mean so much to us if you could offer any support to our cycling team, for the charity, and for the amazing families they support every day. We are incredibly grateful for any donations you can offer, and please rest assured that they will truly make a difference to babies and children in need. Thank you!

(The Ride for Lia 2025 Cycle Team)