Harrogate Rugby Club (HRUFC) Ladies team is set to cycle a gruelling 4,814 miles without leaving its new Rudding Lane clubhouse to raise money for life-saving equipment.
All 26 members of the ladies team will take to exercise bikes to cycle the equivalent distance travelled by the England Rugby team during the Rugby World Cup in a bid to raise enough money to buy two defibrillators.
The fundraiser which was the brainchild of team founder Laura Symmonds will allow the club to purchase two publicly accessible defibrillators (PAD) via the British Heart Foundation Nation of Lifesavers initiative. The equipment will be available to the local community as well as the players.
Laura said:
Having access to a potentially life-saving piece of equipment is essential for us at Harrogate Rugby Club. The defibrillators will not only ensure a fast response to a medical emergency for our players but also be here as an aid for the community.
Our new ground is located just off the main Harrogate ring road and the equipment will be accessible at all times for use by the emergency services.
The cycle ride is a fun way to raise the money in the build up to the Rugby World Cup.
The cycle challenge will begin on Thursday 17 September ahead of the first match between England and Fiji at Twickenham on Friday 18 September. The ladies team needs to raise a total of £800 in order to install the two British Heart Foundation defibrillators. Any additional funds raised will be spent on new kit and equipment for the team.
Once the defibrillators are installed their location will be listed by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and 999 operators will be notified.
The public are invited to the club to support the fundraiser.
For more information visit www.harrogaterugby.com or contact Laura Symmonds lsymmonds82@gmail.com
Nation of Lifesavers Community Package teaches cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills and provides public access defibrillators (PADs) where they are needed most. Part-funding is available to community organisations such as sports clubs, village halls and community centres.
For more information about the Nation of Lifesavers initiative visit the British Heart Foundation website www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/nation-of-lifesavers
- Harrogate Rugby Union Football Club (HRUFC) was founded in 1871 and played its first match against Leeds on the West Park Stray, opposite the Coach & Horses pub which is a regular sponsor of the club.
