Donations

Joanne and Ruth's fundraising bike ride for Odyssians

Thanks so much to Odyssians volunteer Joanne Ramsey and her friend Ruth Hutchinson, who have raised £225 by cycling halfway across Scotland: that's enough to pay for a Harry Potter astronomy lesson. We still can't afford Professor Brian Cox but in 2011 we will have a wheelchair-accessible inflatable planetarium to explore the wonders of the universe. Thanks again Jo and Ruth!

Q. What gave you the idea to raise money for Odyssians?
A. In 2008 we cycled the coast to coast to raise money for the British Heart Foundation which was such a fun week. I was a newcomer to Odyssians in 2010 and knew that a lot of money was needed to refurbish the campsite and run the camp, so we thought we could do a little bit to help.

Q. What did you do to raise money?
A. We cycled in Scotland from Inverness to Glasgow. We camped along the way, carrying all of our own gear and supplies. Officially the route was 216 miles, unofficially (taking into account going the wrong way for about 5 miles) it was definitely over 220 miles!

Q. What was the bike ride like?
A. It was hilly and it was wet but it was brilliant fun. The route was really picturesque and most of it was off road which really helps. For 5 and a half days we pretty much just sang, laughed and ate Mentos, with a little bit of cycling along the way. I would defiantly do it again, although maybe in July instead of October!

Q. Was it easy to organise the fundraising?
A. Yeah, it was pretty easy to organise the fundraising, I just made some sponsor forms on the computer with brief details of what we were doing and why and posted them up at work and gave them out to people. It would have been better if more people were involved as it would have meant more fundraising.

Q. What was the best thing about doing such an event?
A. It was just brilliant fun from start to finish. Even when you’re soaked through to the skin, you need to pitch your tent in the rain and then cook. Even when your legs are aching and you know that you still have another 150 miles to cycle, remembering that you’re doing it for the benefit of others is really uplifting. Personally I love the challenge travelling through places that I’ve never been to before, meeting new people along the way. It’s so nice to just forget about the pressures of real life and the most important decision of the day is whether to have hot chocolate or tea to drink.

Eve English interviewed Jo and Ruth (pictured) for us. Thanks Eve! x