To help people get fit, take on a personal challenge, and raise money for YMCA charitable projects.
Anyone over 16 who wants to take on a life changing journey.
No, YMCA Challenges traditionally attract local people of all ages from 16 to 70. The important thing is that you are committed to complete the training and prepare yourself physically for the challenge you choose.
Each event is fully supported with transport, refreshments, lunch, accommodation etc. See later questions relating to each event for more detail.
On the cycling events (C2C and Red 2 Med) we will need a deposit to secure your place and enable us to book transport at earlier cheaper rates. These deposits need to be returned to us with a completed entry form by the following dates. C2C £90 by 28th Feb 08 Red 2 Med £100 by 11th Feb 08.
A full programme of training in walking and cycling is provided free of charge for anyone who is interested in taking part in YMCA Challenge events. These sessions are led by experienced YMCA mountain walkers and cycle leaders from Redhill Cycling Club and provision is made to cater for all levels from absolute beginner through to the more experienced challengers.
Walking training takes place on following Sundays;
All signed up challengers can also take advantage of free basic membership to the YMCA gym offering discounted rates for workout and classes. YMCA instructors will also be able to design tailored exercise programmes to complement challenge training.
You do not have to attend all of the official training especially if you are taking part in a walking event but we would advise you to join as many sessions as you can. If you are taking part in either the C2C or Red 2 Med you will need to become accustomed to cycling in a group and we will need to find out what level of cycling fitness you have reached so that we can ensure you are riding at a pace that is comfortable for you.
Participants in YMCA cycling events are also advised to join Redhill Cycling Club where they can benefit from additional training events and gain advice from experienced and friendly leaders. www.redhillcc.co.uk
One of the primary aims of the Challenge events is to raise money for YMCA projects and in the past supporters have raised large sums for projects such as Fit for Life, Hillbrook House Supported Housing Scheme for young people and Yippee, a project offering play and leisure for children with disability plus respite for their families. Without the support of challengers we would not have been able to carry out the varied charitable work we do for those who are disadvantaged or vulnerable in our local community.
This year we are hoping to raise money for Heads Together, a free counselling service for young people in East Surrey between 13 and 24. This project has been running for 12 years but due to funding difficulties its work is currently under threat unless we can raise £25,000 to sustain it until we can find more long term funding.
Many young people are suffering emotional distress through issues such as family break up, bereavement, abuse and bullying. Trained volunteer counsellors working for Heads Together can help young people to deal with these issues, find ways to overcome their difficulties and go on to become happy balanced adults. We need your help to make this happen.
See our page or contact Kim Roderick who can send you a Heads Together fact sheet or annual report.
Raising money is not compulsory but we are hoping that you will see the value in the work we are doing and help us to reach our fundraising target. We have made some suggestions as to what we would like to see individuals raise and this varies with each event. For the larger events where there is a lot more work and organisation involved we are hoping participants will set a target of £200. For the walking events we would be grateful for any sums raised however small.
We will be holding a Challenge Gala dinner on Friday 28th Nov at Reigate Manor Hotel where we will be presenting fundraising Awards for the most successful fundraiser in each event and we will also be giving out certificates and special fundraising incentives to all challengers raising over £10, £50 and £100.
You may either use one of our official Challenge Sponsor forms attached to your challenge entry form for a traditional approach of asking friends and colleagues to sponsor you or alternatively why not try the online method using Justgiving.com. Having your own personal web page for online fundraising allows you to concentrate on the event, whilst collection of money and Gift Aid declarations are taken care of automatically. Using a Justgiving donations web page is quick, easy, free and 100% secure for you. It also automatically collects an additional 28% Gift Aid from the government when donations come from tax payers. Either let us create a page for you - and we shall inform you of your unique login details which will allow you to add/change your details, update event news and view your online fundraising activity - or have a go yourself. It is quite straight forward and good fun. Just visit justgiving.com and follow the quick and easy prompts.
31st September 2008
Yes, we are hoping that challengers might do more than one challenge and sometimes earlier events can be used as training sessions for more demanding events later in the calendar.
C2C or Sea to Sea is a well established 140 mile Sustrans route across the breadth of the country from Whitehaven to Newcastle, crossing the Lake District, Pennines and passing through the industrial heritage sites leading into Newcastle. There are various versions of the route depending on terrain and we will be offering a three day ride with on and off road options and a 2 day ride staying on road or good tracks only.
C2C is ideal for experienced cyclists or those new to cycling events who are looking for a new challenge and who are prepared to put in the training to build up their fitness.
The C2C follows a mixture of quiet lanes, tarmac paths and dusty trails with some harder rougher off road sections where there are road alternates. The C2C could negotiated by a light mountain bike, hybrid road bike or robust tourer but bear in mind that on the road sections a mountain bike will be at a disadvantage due to its weight and wide tyres which will slow it down. A hybrid or tourer will find the steep climbs and tough terrain more difficult but will be quicker on the tarmac sections. A full blown lightweight racing bike with narrow slick tyres, although fast on the tarmac will probably not be suitable on the trails. If in doubt about a bike please spk to one of our leaders before making a decision.
The three day groups will leave on Wednesday 25th and return on Sunday 29th staying 4 nights in basic hotels, guest houses or bunk houses. Stopovers are in Whitehaven, Penrith, Stanhope and Newcastle.
The two day groups will leave on Thursday 26th and stay 3 nights in Whitehaven, Allenheads and Newcastle.
3 Day riders and their bikes will leave from the YMCA at lunchtime on Wednesday 25th June and will be transported by mini bus and bike trailer from Redhill YMCA to Whitehaven. They will return in the mini bus and trailer on Sunday 29th June.
2 day riders will need to drop their bikes off at the YMCA on the Wednesday so they can be transported to Whitehaven by trailer with the 3 day group. A second mini bus will pick up 2 day riders on Thursday lunchtime from the YMCA to transport them to Whitehaven. 2 Day riders will return with 3 day riders on Sunday 29th June.
Our volunteer support crew consisting of Norman Phillips and Keith Mc Kiernan will offer refreshment breaks including energy snacks, drinks and tea/coffee plus a daily lunch stop of baguettes and fruit. They will also offer encouragement and if necessary first aid and a pick up service and repairs for any riders in difficulty. Support will also carry all kit and spare parts.
We are anticipating a two day group of 15 riders which will then be split into two teams led by Michael Ormerod and Jacqui Phillips plus a further 15 riders on the 3 day group again split into two teams led by David Hilder and Ian Burks. The team led by Ian Burks over three days will be staying off road wherever possible.
Collecting sponsorship is not compulsory but the C2C like all our other challenge events has been set up partly to raise money for YMCA Projects. We are hoping that riders on C2C will try and raise something toward Heads Together and our suggested target is £200. Overall we hope to raise £25,000 from Challenge events to help local young people who are facing emotional distress caused by issues such as family break up, bereavement, abuse and bullying. Fundraising is not however mandatory and we will welcome all riders regardless of how much they intend to raise.
£186 for 5 day event (3 days cycling) or £165 for 4 day event (2 days cycling). This includes transport, accommodation, breakfasts, support, lunches (except last day) but doesn’t include evening meals.
The Red to Med is a charity cycle ride of approximately 650 miles from Redhill to Montpellier in the South of France taking place from Friday 11th July to Sunday 19th July 2008. The route which covers approx 75 miles per day, has been devised by Michael Ormerod and starts at the YMCA and goes via Portsmouth, Caen and then directly north through France along quiet roads to the Mediterranean.
RED 2 MED is a more challenging event ideal for experienced cyclists or YMCA challengers who have completed one of the previous Bike It Events. Beginners to long distance cycling are unlikely to be able to reach the level of cycling fitness required in time to complete this challenge unless they are very committed or have a high level of base fitness already.
A lightweight road bike, racing bike or tourer. See YMCA Challenge info sheet on bike safety and equipment checklist by Graham Haysom.
The first night will be spent in a cabin on the overnight crossing, subsequent stopovers will be at pre booked camp sites and riders will be required to bring their own lightweight tents. The final night will be spent at a hotel in Montpellier.
All bikes will be transported back to the YMCA in the support vehicle and riders can either opt for a flight back to Gatwick or choose to arrange their own return travel saving approximately £75 off the trip costs.
Our volunteer support crew consisting of Norman Phillips and Keith Mc Kiernan will offer refreshment breaks including energy snacks, drinks and tea/coffee plus a daily lunch stop of baguettes and fruit. They will also offer encouragement and if necessary first aid and a pick up service and repairs for any riders in difficulty. Support will also carry all kit and spare parts.
We are anticipating at least one group of ten riders plus 2 support in one mini bus, however this may be extended to two groups of ten if demand is sufficient. Leadership will be provided by Mike Ormerod, Graham Haysom and Jacqui Phillips. Each group of ten may be split into a faster and slower group to cater for varying levels of fitness.
£492 including flight back on Sunday 19th July or £417 if you choose to make alternative arrangements for return journey (some people are choosing to stay for a few days holiday after the ride). This includes ferries, transport for bike, accommodation, support and lunches (whilst on the bike) but doesn’t include breakfasts or evening meals.
To enter fill in the official entry form available from the Y and return with your deposit of £100 by 11th Feb.
Collecting sponsorship is not compulsory but the Red 2 Med like all our other challenge events has been set up partly to raise money for YMCA Projects. We are hoping that riders on Red 2 Med will try and raise something toward Heads Together and our suggested target is £200. Overall we hope to raise £25,000 from Challenge events to help local young people who are facing emotional distress caused by issues such as family break up, bereavement, abuse and bullying. Fundraising is not however mandatory and we will welcome all riders regardless of how much they intend to raise.
Good waterproof hiking boots, waterproof jacket and backpack are essential plus additional items if going on mountain walk to Snowdonia. see YMCA kit list for details.
See Y2Y entry form and schedule for pick up times etc.
There will be five refreshment points spread out along the route including the lunch stop at Ranmore Common.
You may bring your dog with you on all YMCA training walks and on the Y2Y (provided he or she is friendly!) Unfortunately we cannot accommodate dogs on the Snowdonia trip.
This has not yet been finalised but will probably be at Penn y Pass Youth hostel and or Idwal Cottage Youth Hostel.
Unfortunately all entrants to YMCA walking events need to be over 16 for insurance reasons.