The Pallet LOOP team took part in the 2021 Ride4Recovery charity bike ride on Saturday 11 September. Cycling 200 miles around Norfolk in two days, the team helped raise more than £40,000 for the Norfolk Community Foundation, which supports community groups and local grassroots charities doing vital work in the county.
As a lead sponsor of the event, The Pallet LOOP team fielded its own mini peloton of riders including Founder and Chairman, Paul Lewis; Nathan Wride, Head of Partnerships & Innovation; and Matt Day, Designer & Digital Consultant. The team were among 45 cycling enthusiasts, who covered 100 miles of South Norfolk countryside on day one and 100 miles of North Norfolk on day two. The team behind The Pallet LOOP has been involved in previous fundraising events for the Norfolk Community Foundation – including the Club Together event in 2017, which raised an incredibly £135k; and a charity ride from London to Paris in 2016 that raised £35k.
Commenting, Paul Lewis said: “It was great to be back in the saddle and take part in this fantastic local fundraising event – both as a corporate sponsor and as riders. Everyone was gutted when the 2020 ride was cancelled because of the pandemic, so the enthusiasm of all participants this September was next level. At a time when many smaller charities are struggling because of COVID-19, it was brilliant to see so many cyclists out in force, and their supporters digging deep with sponsorship. Originally, we set out to raise £20k, but we completely smashed that target. Thank you to all concerned. The money raised will make a huge difference to recipient causes.”
One of the first donations made by the riders was to a local girl, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour several years ago. The group gave £2500 to help fund much-needed wheelchair adaptations.