Action Medical Research has revealed a host of notable cycling experiences to be auctioned at its upcoming Champions of CycleSport Dinner.
The children’s charity, which helps to save and change children’s lives through medical research, will host ‘the cycling event of the year’ on Thursday 26 November at Battersea Evolution in London to mark another successful season of its high-profile charity rides.
New additions to the star-studded guest list, which includes Chris Boardman MBE, Sir Dave Brailsford CBE, David Millar, Dani King MBE, Rochelle Gilmore, Rob Hayles and Jody Cundy MBE, at the sixth annual Champions of CycleSport Dinner are Cannondale–Garmin Pro Cycling’s Dan Martin and Jack Bauer, as well as Alex Dowsett who rides for the UCI ProTeam Movistar Team.
Among the unique items to be included in the live and silent auctions, sponsored by community regeneration and housebuilding specialist Keepmoat, are:
- A trip for two to Mallorca with Team Sky on their training camp in January;
- A place on the exclusive Ride Out with Chris Boardman in the Lake District in June; and
- The chance to spend a day in the Madison Genesis team car with manager Roger Hammond at the 2016 Tour of Britain.
Other prizes in the auction, led by [UK TV show] Cash in the Attic’s John Cameron, include two tickets for hospitality with Team Sky on the final day of the Tour de France, a painting of Geraint Thomas by Paul Oz, a chance to ride with the Wiggle Honda team thanks to Rochelle Gilmore, Chris Froome’s signed yellow jersey, a ride with David Millar, a six-week bespoke training plan from Rowe & King and a jersey signed by Sir Bradley Wiggins.
The 2015 Champions of CycleSport Dinner, backed by Garmin and returning sponsors BDO LLP, will include a three-course dinner, live music and action demonstrations. High-profile speakers will play a major part; and the event’s highlight is a series of tell-all interviews with a number of cycling champions, conducted by Sky TV’s Dermot Murnaghan and sponsored by Thomas Miller Investment.
Olympic gold medallist, triple world champion and former world record holder Chris Boardman MBE is the official ambassador for the event, which celebrates the charity’s passion for cycling and which raised a significant £200,000 last year.
“I’m so proud to be an ambassador for Action and to support this extremely worthwhile cause,” Boardman said. “I know first-hand why the research Action Medical Research funds is so essential after my son George was born six weeks prematurely.”
He continued, “I urge cycling fans to join us for the Champions of CycleSport Dinner. Not only are you guaranteed a fantastic night out, you’re also supporting Action’s efforts to help many thousands of families dealing with the trauma of a baby born too early, striving to support a child affected by disability, or facing the challenge of caring for a child with a rare disease for which there is no cure.”
Tony Leach, SHEQ Director at Keepmoat, said “We are very proud to be sponsoring the auctions at the Champions of CycleSport Dinner for Action Medical Research. With cycling being one of the fastest growing sports in the country, we are certain that the event will be a huge success and that even more money will be raised for such a worthwhile charity.”
With the help of its supporters, Action Medical Research has played a significant role in many medical breakthroughs since the charity began in 1952, from the development of the first UK polio vaccines to the use of ultrasound in pregnancy. It is currently funding research into meningitis, Down syndrome, epilepsy and premature birth, as well as some rare and distressing conditions that severely affect children.
Action Medical Research is a leading UK-wide charity working to save and change children’s lives through medical research. The organisation believes that the diseases that devastate the lives of so many of children can be beaten. To this end, it has been funding medical breakthroughs since it began in 1952 – such as the first polio vaccines in the UK, ultrasound in pregnancy and the rubella vaccine – helping to save thousands of children’s lives and change many more.
