Our campaign is now complete. 40 supporters helped us raise £1,401.00
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Redlingfield is a tiny village of less than 60 households in north Suffolk but we don't believe that being small should hold you back.
Redlingfield PCC, who look after Redlingfield's wonderful, historically-important, medieval Church of St Andrew, are raising funds to update the church and also improve the Doorstep Green, Redlingfield's village green.
The church is in need of repair and is also on the Heritage At Risk Register. We also want to update it so it can be used as a community space in addition to being a church, with kitchen, toilets, sustainable heating etc.
To begin raising the thousands of pounds needed, five brave souls have decided to do a sponsored bike ride of more than 100 miles from Redlingfield to Buckingham Palace in London over the weekend of Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd July. They will be taking greetings from Redlingfield to Her Majesty, wishing her a wonderful Jubilee.
The team taking part are Reverend Richard Court, Alison Smith, Adrian Smith, Andrew Hemmings and his partner Heather. For the last few months, as well as keeping up with busy work and home commitments, they have been cycling regularly to build up their speed and stamina.
It's been really difficult, I've been getting up a couple of hours earlier each day to try and cram my training in and it's taken ages for me to get fit enough to not be wheezing like a steam train when I get to the top of a hill.
Where possible, they will be using quieter roads as well as established cycle routes. On the first day they plan to cover just over 60 miles with stops for food and refreshments in Sproughton, Colchester and Tiptree arriving in Chelmsford, where they will stay the night. On Sunday they hope to reach Buckingham Palace by around 2pm in the afternoon, having stopped for a break in Romford on the way. After a late lunch they plan to take their bikes and themselves home by train.
This assumes that everything goes swimmingly and there are no punctures or delays. Just in case, Alison Smith's parents, Alan and Sandra Hemmings, will be following along in the support car to deal with any problems that arise.
What was just an idea has actually started to happen and I am so grateful for the support this little community has provided me to make this fundraising possible.
Please support us and donate what you can.
Redlingfield's Church of St Andrew is Grade 2* listed, Anglo Saxon in origin and currently on the Heritage At Risk Register because water is penetrating through the mediaeval floor and walls, damaging the fabric of the building. In the past the external walls were repaired and re-pointed with concrete, which has prevented the building breathing and trapped the damp. All of this will need to be removed and replaced with lime mortar.
Redlingfield does not have a village hall or meeting place, currently residents have to hire halls in other villages. To overcome this, there are plans to update the church with a kitchen, toilets, running water and eco-friendly lighting and heating so that as well as being the parish church it can be used by the whole community for meetings, events and village activities.
Redlingfield is an unusual village, we don't charge a local Council Tax, instead everyone gets involved in fundraising activities, which is a lot more fun than getting a bill through the post. It means people can give what they can afford and with the way things are at the moment the last thing people need are more bills.
Redlingfield Doorstep Green was created by the villagers in 2004 with grants from the Countryside Agency and help from the local Council and Wildlife Trust along with hundreds of volunteer hours by residents. Before that children played in the busy road, dodging the traffic. Twelve years later it was expanded by a further two acres, when the village realised it was too small. Once funds are available there are plans to add more sports and play equipment for younger and older children and adults as well as restoring the paths as they aren't suitable for people with pushchairs or wheelchairs or who are unsteady on their feet. The wildlife areas will also be expanded and improved. The village website www.redlingfield.suffolk.gov.uk has more about the Doorstep Green and village.
The Pedal to the Palace Team set off this morning - we wish them a safe journey!
This is a copy of the Greeting they are taking to Her Majesty
And here is the letter the Team have recieved from the Queen
Another view of the team showing their excellent t-shirts!
The Redlingfield Pedal to the Palace team have just done a lovely interview with Radio Suffolk's Heidi Secker. Alison was excellent and was able to mention our Just Giving page.
The team are just outside Colchester, on their way to the Coffee Crate at Tiptree for afternoon tea, having had elevenses at The Shed at Sproughton and lunch at Filpots garden centre at Boxted.
Saturday 18:45. The Team are having dinner at the Wheatsheaf Pub in Hatfield Peverel (very good Im told). They still have six miles to go before they get to their hotel. They got a bit lost in Colchester finding the cycleway was a problem, so they ended up missing their stop at the Coffee Crate in Tiptree as it was closed by the time they got to it.
And finally - they have made it to the Palace!! Congratulations to all of them!
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