A group of volunteer doctors and supporters have completed a 260-mile cycle ride around Cumbria raising over £2,000 for their appeal.
The BEEP Doctors service has been established in Cumbria since 1994 and offers skilled emergency doctors to help at the scenes of accident.
The 16 doctors are all unpaid and are on call 24/7 – even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many of them have been working in hospitals and the local community.
They provide enhanced medical interventions which are not normally able to be provided by paramedics at the roadside, stabilising critically ill or injured patients long before they reach hospital.
The cycle ride was organised to help BEEP raise funds for new equipment which will help them save lives.
Dr Theo Weston, who set up the charity, planned the cycle route and rode the entire 260 miles, was joined by friends, cyclists and supporters along the way.
They included Rob Douglas, president of the Rotary Club of West Lakeland. The club is a big supporter of the BEEP Doctors and helped with planning and vehicle support over the five-day challenge.
Setting off from Penrith on Friday, the team endured the hottest weather this year as they completed their challenge.
It took them from the health centre in Penrith, where the charity was first formed, via Appleby to Sedbergh, Ulverston to Gosforth, up to Silloth, across to Carlisle, on to Croglin and Kirkoswald and then back home to Penrith HQ on Tuesday.
Other cyclists included Chris Gasgarth, Nigel Harling, Will Ripley, Sean Duffy, Tim Taylor and other supporters from the Rotary Club of West Lakeland.
Theo said: “We are blown away by the support we’ve had for the cycle event.
“We originally planned to do it in 2020 but have had to postpone it until now and the weather gods were certainly shining down on us! I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported us, cycled with us, cheers us on beeped their horn or donated money to the charity.
“The event has been fantastic, but I will be happy not to get on my bike for a few weeks and sleep in my own bed!”
A total of £2,061 has been raised so far, which will go towards the BEEP Doctors fundraising campaign to raise £145,000 in 2021.
The campaign will enable the charity to buy life-saving equipment for their team of doctors who now cover the whole of Cumbria.
Each doctor carries a basic amount of equipment, which they need to attend call outs, as well as a number of devices not used by paramedics including ultrasound scanners and more complex monitor/defibrillators.
The more serious the incident they attend, the more advanced equipment they need to monitor patients, perform lifesaving surgery or even anaesthetise patients before they are taken to hospital.
All the money raised during the cycle ride will go towards buying this vital life saving equipment.
Theo added: “The support we have received from everyone during this round Cumbria ride including all those who have ridden with us and supported us along the way as well as all the members of the public who have already donated money through the Just Giving link, has been utterly amazing.
“I am truly humbled and stunned by the amount that has been raised so far.”
Arragons Cycles in Penrith supplied a range of spares and Polka Dot Cycles, Sedbergh, repaired one of the bikes when the riders had a slight technical problem en route.
Bardsea Leisure, Together We Can Fundraising and Acorn Marketing and various supporters saw them off and cheered them home and Dr Claire Brock, who wanted to join the event, but was unable to held a tea party in her garden and raised £400.
People can still donate to the fund. Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beep-doctors-cycle-ride
