Well, that’s what we are working towards at Elisha house, using activities like cycling, walking and crossfit to keep people active, connected and help to realise their potential.

My Story & what this cause means to me.

I became involved with Elisha House through my work with Breaking Cycles CIC and it has become so much more than a workplace for me. Like many of the members of this community, I experience difficulties with mental health and often feel different and disconnected due to neurodiversity (I have a diagnosis of Dyspraxia, Dyslexia and Irlen Syndrome). Working with Elisha House has allowed me to feel normal, understood and appreciated during recent times of mental ill health and I honestly believe that if my work had not brought me into contact with this community I would not have the mental strength to continue in my chosen career.

Sam's Story

Sam is no stranger to bikes, having competed in Downhill MTB in his youth and becoming British Champion at the age of 15. When I asked Sam if he'd like to be involved in this event, by doing contributing to a team effort, he told me that he'd like to do the whole thing!

Collaboration between Breaking Cycles and Elisha House

Breaking Cycles CIC and Elisha House CIC have been collaborating since 2020 and so far we have achieved quite a lot for the recovery community and reaching out into the community around Pendle.

· We have provided holiday activities for teenagers at risk of getting involved in substance misuse and antisocial behavior

· We have provided regular opportunities for members of the community to get out and ride in our local area

· We have trained ride leaders in our community who can now share the benefits of cycling with others

· We invite others to join our rides every Friday and are looking for opportunities to offer more

· We are providing flexible employment opportunities for members of our community

All of this has been achieved with funding from Connecting East Lancashire, The Canal and River Trust, Sport England and Pendle Council as well as donations to our project.

What we need funds for

We are raising money to support us in continuing this journey towards being able to reach more people earlier and promote healthier, happier, and more connected ways of being.

Crowd funding some of this work allows us more flexibility to respond directly to the needs that we see in front of us on a daily basis and provide activities that help people to recover and to stay well.

Every donation is welcome, including taking the time to share our campaign if you can’t spare money right now. The following list is examples of how the money we raise could be spent

· £5 will pay for an inner tube or a puncture repair kit for our bikes

· £15 will pay for a first aid kit for our ride and walk leaders to carry

· £30 will pay for a helmet to keep us feeling safe when we are out riding bikes

· £50 will pay for us to have one of our bikes professionally serviced, or pay for fuel when we use our minibus to access an MTB trail centre or walk up a mountain.

· £80 will pay for a cycling instructor to deliver training, to a group of three people, that gives riders the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to cycle safely on the roads

· £250 will pay for a mountain bike guide to take 8 of our residents off for an adventure for the day.

· £500 will pay for a new mountain bike that we can loan to our residents people who want to join in with our rides

· £2000 will pay for an eBike that allows us to support people with physical limitations to access our rides

We are happy to publicly recognise and celebrate larger donations, such as those coming from companies, via our social media platforms interactions with local media and within our community of more than 1000 people.

Our fundraising event!

Over Easter weekend, we will be taking on the challenge of everesting on Knotts Lane. That involves cycling or running up and down the hill until we have climbed the height of Mt Everest. That’s 108 times!

You can find out more about everesting at everesting.cc

Sam and I will be attempting the whole thing and some of us will be climbing our own mountain, or just doing one climb, which in all honesty is more of a challenge than it seems as the gradient gets as steep as 1 in 5 or 20%!

Everest = 108 reps (over 100 miles!)

(Everest) base camp = 54 reps (approx. 60 miles)

Ben Nevis = 17 reps (approx. 18 miles)

Pendle = 7 reps (approx. 7.5 miles)

Why should you help us?

Recovery, whether it's from injury, illness, addiction or mental health difficulties can feel like an uphill struggle, like you have a mountain to climb. Sometimes, it feels overwhelming, isolated and lonely.

Addiction and Mental ill health do not discriminate! Whoever you are, whatever your background is, you probably know someone who has, is or will go through tough times relating to these issues.