Tour de Alice challenge returns

For a second year in succession, the Alice Charity is challenging you to take the Tour de Alice challenge to help raise vital funds to support local people struggling to provide for their families in North Staffordshire.

The event uses technology to allow you to log your miles and compete against friends and family. Held to coincide with the Tour de France, the Alice Charity event challenges you to cycle just a few miles or follow the route of le Tour via a specially built app.

Participants can cycle on the road or on an exercise bike and there’ll be lots of opportunities to share photos and inspire others via Alice’s social media platforms.

This year’s Tour takes place between 26 June and 18 July and Alice is looking for local cycling clubs and individuals to take part.

Fundraiser Stephane Bradbury said: “We’ve teamed up with fitness platform Strava and challenging everyone to ride a virtual Tour de France. While Le Tour is the ultimate cycling challenge, we’re asking cyclists to do as little or as much as they can. It doesn’t matter if you can just clock up a few kilometres or you’re a budding Chris Froome, we’d love you to get involved.”

Alice Charity supports families living in poverty in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme and support is needed more than ever before. In common with other charities, Alice has been unable to hold as many face to face fundraising events as normal over the past 15 months, due to Coronavirus lockdowns. At the same time, demand for support is on the rise due to reductions in income, job losses and family break ups during the recent lockdowns.

Stephanie added: “Alice’s mission is all about offering flexible support in a practical manner for families. We have seen demand soar in terms of food poverty and the need for practical support when families breakdown or struggle to cope with sudden income drops. Our “Pass It On” scheme collects and supplies furniture and household white goods, while the People’s Pantry is there to help people get a nutritious meal. We have “Big Cup” which offers free baby and toddler play groups and “Bump and Beyond” to give new mums practical and emotional support.

“All programmes are backed by the generosity of public donations and the local business community, but there’s a constant need for services in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle. The Potteries is the 16th most deprived area in England out of 326 districts and around 75,000 local residents are considered to be in the 10 per cent most deprived group of people in England.

For details on how to sign up for the Tour de Alice, please go online to tourdealice.alicecharity.com or call 01782 627017. You can set up a fundraising page and log your miles via your fitness app.

Everyone who raises £100 or more will be sent a commemorative medal by Alice Charity.

(Main pic Alsager Harlequins cyclists who supported Tour de Alice in 2020.)