A group of intrepid cyclists is training hard for a 260-mile sponsored ride around Cumbria to raise money for a team of dedicated volunteer doctors which carries out life-saving work in the county.
They are hoping their efforts will raise thousands of pounds for BEEP Doctors (BASICS Cumbria).
“We are very excited to be undertaking our fifth annual around Cumbria cycle ride between May 24 to May 28 to raise money and awareness for the charity,” said Dr Theo Weston MBE, founder and member of the BEEP Doctors, who will be one of those tackling the cycling challenge.
“We are looking forward to meeting lots of people along the way to promote the charity and hoping for good weather as we will have between seven and ten of us cycling each day, the most we have ever had.”
AW Jenkinson Forest Products, in Clifton, near Penrith, has agreed for the second consecutive year to be the ride’s main sponsor and will be donating £1,750 towards the fundraiser. The team members will be wearing the AW Jenkinson logo on their cycle tops.
A spokesman for the company said: “AW Jenkinson Forest Products is very proud to support the BEEP Doctors Charity Cycle Ride.
For 30 years, BEEP Doctors have been a beacon of hope in Cumbria, providing rapid, expert emergency medical assistance to those in critical need.
“Their unwavering commitment to saving lives deserves support, and we are honoured to contribute to their mission.”
The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, a family-owned business producing and packing free range and organic free range eggs, based at Stainton, near Penrith, is also sponsoring the challenge.
The cyclists will set off from outside AW Jenkinson’s headquarters at the Gilwilly Industrial Estate at Penrith on Saturday, May 24.
The group aims to cover around 50 to 60 miles per day. Day one will see them cycle through the Eden Valley, up to Aisgill Summit and Garsdale Head and then to Sedbergh.
Day two will see the group cycle to Kendal for lunch and then past Levens and Grange-over-Sands to Ulverston.
The third day’s route will take them to Broughton-in-Furness and up to the moors around Ulpha. The group will then drop down to Gosforth, where they will be guests for the evening of members of the West Lakes Rotary Club, which is a big supporter of the BEEP Doctors.
Day four is a ride along the coastline past Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport to Silloth and the final day is a 70 to 80 mile ride back to Penrith.
“BEEP Doctors covers Cumbria and we shall be cycling as closely as we can the boundary of the county,” said Dr Weston.
“This year we have got a lot more riders taking part. There will be seven of us riding all five days – which we have never had before – and there will be other people joining us for the odd day or two so we might have up to 10 riders on some days.”
Those taking part each day will include Dr Weston; Rob Douglas, a member of the West Lakes Rotary Club; retired police officers Dave Willetts and Nigel Harling; and Jen Turnbull, who lives in the Southwaite area.
Dr Weston said: “Jen was a patient of ours some years ago. She had a nasty fractured ankle when she fell off a horse and I treated her at the scene.”
Also cycling all five days will be Tim Taylor and his 14-year-old son Tom. Just before Christmas 2023 Tom, then 13, walked more than 30 miles while towing his kayak around the streets of Penrith and raised around £6,000 towards the cost of a new emergency response vehicle for the BEEP Doctors.
Tim, Jen and Dave are, like Dr Weston, members of an informal group of cyclists, The Wednesday Wheelers, which meets weekly to go cycling in the Penrith area.
It costs more than £150,000 a year to keep BEEP Doctors Cumbria going and the charity relies on donations and fundraising events.
Dr Weston’s wife, Michelle, will be driving one of the BEEP Doctors’ emergency response cars, which will follow the cyclists as a support vehicle and will carry promotional material about the charity.
It will be parked at lunchtime in the centre of Kirkby Stephen on May 24, in Kendal Market Place on May 25, in the square at Broughton-in-Furness on May 26, at the harbourfront at Maryport on May 27 and at the public car park next to Carlisle Castle on May 28.
Cumbria’s 10 BEEP Doctors, who are all volunteers, provide enhanced pre-hospital emergency medical care. They work closely with the police and fire services, North West Ambulance Service paramedics, the Great North Air Ambulance Service and North West Air Ambulance.
At incidents BEEP Doctors can carry out some surgical procedures, such as inserting chest drains; some can perform pre-hospital anaesthetics and all are able to administer drugs that most road crew paramedics cannot, such as ketamine/fentanyl to give pain relief and allow fracture manipulation.
Many of the emergencies they attend include road traffic collisions, farm incidents, pushbike and horse accidents and medical emergencies at home and in public places.
So far in 2025, the BEEP Doctors (BASICS Cumbria) charity has attended 89 incidents and members have completed 280 volunteering hours.
To donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/beep-cumbria-cycle-ride-2025
