Vale of Aylesbury Sponsored Ride Present Cheque to RAF Halton

The Chairman of the Vale of Aylesbury Sponsored Ride has this week presented a cheque for £7000 to RAF Halton’s Station Commander, Group Captain Simon Harper. The cheque is a share of the donations from their yearly ride out across Halton’s land. The proceeds are split with donations to RAF Halton and local charities.

The ride has been taking place for many years now, some in blazing sunshine and others in snow blizzards, with a field of 200 riders taking part and one of the jumps being over a Jet Provost Mark 5,

Chairman John Yarroll said: “We must thank RAF Halton again for allowing us to use their facilities for this event. The Ride is non-profit making, run by volunteers and exists to raise money for local charities. Each rider must raise a minimum of £30 sponsorship (or sponsor themselves for a minimum of £30), and all sponsorship monies must be paid on the day, in cash or by cheque. Over the years the Ride has been running, our riders have raised in the region of £250,000 for charities. The beneficiaries of the 2014 Ride will be as follows: Bucks Stroke Support, PACE, who provide services for disabled children, The Pepper foundation, which funds home care for seriously ill children, the Vale of Aylesbury Vineyard Church, The Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust, The Elder Stubbs Charity, MacMillan Cancer Support and the Air Ambulance Charity which operates out of RAF Benson and one in eight incidents attended to is a riding accident, so helping fund the continued operation of the ambulance is important to all riders.

Group Capt Harper said: “Every year we welcome the Aylesbury Vale Sponsored Ride and open our gates to host this special equestrian charity event. The monies raised go to a range of good causes and I was delighted to accept a donation from the committee of £7000 for Station and Royal Air Force charities.”