<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.</p> <p>Dates of cycle 21/07/2011 - 02/08/2011</p> <p>Our aim is to <strong>cycle</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;from Middleton (Manchester)&nbsp;to Lourdes in the south of France, a total of<strong> 866 miles</strong>, in order raise money to help pay for&nbsp;Salford Diocesan volunteer helpers.&nbsp;The Cycle will take <strong>13 days </strong>to complete, with&nbsp;<strong>all 8 cyclists </strong>(Ages ranging from 21-31,for list of cyclists see bottom)<strong>&nbsp;</strong>aiming to complete<strong>&nbsp;66.6 miles </strong>(on average) per day<strong>. </strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Salford Lourdes volunteer helpers, including 5 of the cyclists, consists of <strong>300 people (approx)</strong>&nbsp;who selflessly give up a week of their time to help those less fortunate to enjoy pilgrimage to Lourdes.&nbsp;The very high majority of&nbsp;volunteers are <strong>teenagers/young adults</strong> and spend a week working shifts in the hospital and hotels in Lourdes, caring for and looking after <strong>sick and elderly pilgrims</strong> from around the Salford Diocese.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>The week, which is entirely self funded, costs each volunteer around<strong> &pound;500</strong> for travel and accomodation. Given the current economic climate many find it difficult to fund, however without the help of the volunteers the pilgrimage would be&nbsp;impossible, which is why fundraising to cut costs is essential.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;<strong>All&nbsp;</strong>the money raised will go towards reducing the costs for helpers to get to and stay in Lourdes, which in turn has <strong>huge benefits </strong>for the sick and elderly who require <strong>care and assistance</strong> throughout the pilgrimage.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - we are able to raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>So please dig deep and donate whatever you are able. Thanks.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For more information on Salford Lourdes and the work it undertakes please click the link below</p> <p><a href="http://salfordlourdes.co.uk/">http://salfordlourdes.co.uk/</a></p> <p>Cyclists:</p> <p>S. Barbagiannis, D. Brocklehurst, D. Breen, J. Dalton, T. Gee, J. Gyves, M. Kenny &amp; A. Lynam</p>