On Saturday 23 July at 9.00am, Southend postman and CWU representative, Keith Elgar took to his trusty Royal Mail 3 speed bike, and started his epic 24 hour cycle marathon to see how far he could get. His journey took him to Thetford for his dinner and Boston for his tea. Breakfast was taken at 9.00am on the Sunday in Grimsby, some 220 miles from his starting point.
"I was supported by Kev Martin and Andy Montieth in a Royal Mail crew bus to bring me home. The last 40 miles were the toughest through the Lincoln Wolds, but I completed 220 miles".
Keith was raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support, and having stopped along the way, Keith and his supporters raised more than £1000 in bucket collections alone. He currently stands at £1777 and counting.
You can still donate to Keith's charity effort through Just Giving on http://www.justgiving.com/Keith-Elgar
Sunday 24 July was another "get on your bike" day for the team from Cambridge, The Red Pouches. Taking part in their 6th annual London to Cambridge Cycle Ride, the team led by Chris Welsh appeared all sleepy eyed at Cambridge Delivery Office at 6.00am ready for a 60 mile return trip.
The team were made up of frontline colleagues, managers, RoMEC team members and one or two guests, including our former Fleet Manager, Steve Ratcliff, now working in the London Region. The full team were: Chris Welsh, Steve Ratcliff, Jane Keate, Lynn McGhee, Phil Barnard (and his son Corbey), Mark Benton, Jane Holmes, Simon Crow, and Robert (Nobby) Allsop.
Every team member made it, and a great day was had by all taking part again. The team were raising money for two local Cambridge charities, East Anglia Children's Hospice and the Arthur Rank Hospice. If you'd like to support the team, you can email the team leader, Chris Welsh.
The team have just announced that next year they'll be cycling from Cambridge to Paris – crazy!
In their time doing charity events, the team have also completed the 3 Peaks Challenge and the Coast 2 Coast cycle ride. Their charity donations currently stands at £41,663, a truly fantastic achievement.