Old-2017-Charity – Reading Roadrunners

What is Cycle-Smart?
Cycle-Smart is an award winning child cyclist's safety charity. The Trust was founded in 1998 by a paediatric nurse who through her work saw the devastation that head injury can cause not only to the child but to the whole family. Since its conception the charity has grown in its drive and commitment to be an advocate for the child and young person. It also provides a community service by highlighting the need of safer cycling practices that incorporate the distinctive needs of children and young people.

The charity is a national resource working with parents, teachers, police, road safety officers, Government departments,healthcare professionals and children themselves by promoting and providing educational programmes in schools on the need for helmet use and safer cycling practice throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Helmets have been shown to be effective in reducing potential injury to a young cyclist's head/brain in the event of a fall or impact with an object. Brain injury is devastating and we believe it is not worth leaving it to chance.

Our Charity Coordinator is Ellen Togher who can be reached on charity@readingroadrunners.org Please contact her for further information and to donate raffle prizes.

Our Car Boot sales fall on alternate Saturdays throughout the summer at Prospect Park. Profits all go to the charity. We always need extra help, so if you can give up a Saturday morning please also contact Geoff Chaffer on 0118 9663466 . If you have quality saleable items we can sell on our own stall, please contact the club desk on Wednesday’s club night to arrange collection

Charity Car Boot Sales 2017
Please note that our car boot sales have now discontinued.

Please watch this space for further details.
The Car Boot Sales will be held on Saturday mornings at Prospect Park, Liebenrood Road, Reading, RG30 2ND (dates below).
The gates open at 07:30 and close at 13:00. Fees are £8.00 for cars and £10.00 for Vans or Cars with trailers.
All proceeds will go to 2017's club charity “Cycle-Smart ” an award winning child cyclist's safety charity.

Volunteers to help at the sales in Prospect Park would be much appreciated. This would involve being there at about 6.45 am and helping to park the cars in rows and just generally helping out. If all goes well they could leave by about 8.00 am but would be welcome to stay and help on the stall.

For further details on the car boot sales please contact Geoff on 0118 9663466.

Saturday April 29th
Saturday May 13th
Saturday May 27th
Saturday June 10th
Saturday June 24th
Saturday July 8th
Saturday July 22nd
Saturday Aug 5th
Saturday Aug 19th
Saturday Sep 16th
Saturday Sep 30th

History
It all began back in 1989 when a Club member needed the services of a baby incubator at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. The Club responded by raising cash for an additional incubator. Over the years we have collected for a variety of causes, such as Macmillan Cancer Care, The National Autistic Society, The National Society for Epilepsy and more recently the Stroke Association. Twenty years later - in 2009 – we passed the £400K mark, a record of which we are justly proud.

How do we do it?
Simple: We never let slip a chance to raise a few quid! The sources of income are diverse. Last year the Prospect Park car boots alone brought in some £8K and over the years many, many, many thousands of pounds. Races organised by the Club – Mortimer, Shinfield and Bramley – are also major earners. Since the Club is non-profit making it donates any surplus it makes.

Individual sponsorships account for a sizable chunk of the total. Carrying buckets round races, in particular the Reading Half, and organising refreshments is likewise lucrative, accounting for several grand.

However, as they say, every little helps, and often an impromptu quiz or game of skittles will bring in some extra cash...

As said, it all adds up! In Charity History you can find a snapshot of the past 20+ years fund raising, as well as – coming soon! – a detailed breakdown of this year’s accounts