There will be an early start from Annan today for a family’s Ray of Light bicycle ride to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.
The three-day 170-mile fundraiser will go from Annan to St Andrews and stop at the charity’s house in Edinburgh en route.
It kicks off with a gathering at the Annandale Distillery and then the official start from the riverside around 9am.
The Richards family, which is cycling in memory of Eilidh Frances – who died at only six weeks old – is hoping the local community will turn up to give them a good send off.
Joe and Louise Richards, both aged 35 from Cupar, Fife, have based the challenge on the Scottish Coast2Coast cycle route which runs from Arran to South Queensferry.
Louise said: “We are extending the route to start in Annan and to finish in St Andrews and will also be stopping at the Ronald McDonald house in Edinburgh en route.
“We cannot thank the people of Annan enough for all their support so far and we really hope residents will come and wave us off.”
There are currently 12 Ronald McDonald Houses across the UK situated in or near hospital grounds and more than 6,000 families stay in one each year – including some from Dumfries and Galloway who have had to travel outwith the region with children needing specialist care.
The couple’s first-hand experience of the charity came in 2019 when daughter, Eilidh, was very sick and needed to be transferred urgently to Kings Hospital in London at the age of two weeks.
Louise said: “We were extremely anxious about where we would be able to stay to remain close to our very sick baby as we were 400 miles from home.
“This is when we first heard about Ronald McDonald House Charities and were offered a room in a house with beautiful, homely facilities just a five minutes walk from the hospital.
“This was invaluable during this traumatic time as it provided a refuge and some sense of normality in an otherwise chaotic and fraught situation.
“We cannot think of a better way to honour Eilidh’s memory than by raising money for this incredible charity and the amazing work they do across the UK in providing free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families of seriously ill children being treated in hospitals.”
Louise won’t be cycling herself as the couple now have an eight-month-old daughter, Wren, so she is on organising and fundraising duties and will lead a support vehicle during the three-day challenge.
Husband Joe will take on the ride with several members of their family joining him.
The have smashed their £5,000 target but still welcome online donations at their JustGiving page which can be found at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rayoflightride.
