Media Release: Doctors Mix Pedal Power With Horsepower In Cycle Ride To Le Mans For Dorset’s Hospices

Monday 8 June 2009; Some of Dorset’s leading doctors from Poole and Bournemouth hospitals are joining forces to pedal their way to the most historic endurance motor race on the planet, the Le Mans 24 Hours. Dr Howard Brownlow, a Consultant in Anaesthetics at Poole General Hospital, and Mr Simon Richards, a local Orthopaedic Consultant, will be leading the 17-strong team on the 200 plus-mile sponsored cycle ride in aid of Julia’s House and Lewis-Manning Hospice.

Starting on 10 June, the group will set off from Cherbourg to undertake three 70-75-mile legs to arrive at Le Mans on 12 June. Day one will see the group, which includes a variety of local consultant doctors and businessmen, a physiotherapist and two support vehicle drivers, pedal from Cherbourg to Avranche. The second day will cover the route onto Argentan before finally arriving to enjoy the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours Race 2009 on day three. Le Mans Aide has already attracted astonishing support to raise £7,500 towards the £10,000 target while the project has received vital backing from Travel Destinations. Dr Howard Brownlow comments: “I am a keen cyclist and I wanted to combine a cycling trip with fundraising for two key local charities. As a group our abilities, both on a bike and to look good in lycra, it would be fair to say are varied, but much training and sacrificing of beer calories is going on in the meantime and I'm sure our elite band of brothers will not let the charities down. “The fundraising efforts have long been under way by means of sponsorship and we will be collecting all along the route. We will be cycling in two groups of seven, so if you spot us flying along in our yellow tour shirts, whether at the Poole ferry or in France, give us a honk and help cheer us on to the finishing post.” Linda Schofield-Green, challenge events fundraiser for Julia’s House, said: “We are hugely appreciative of the doctors’ support. They are very busy people so the fact that they are giving up their time to undertake this challenge in order to fundraise is great and I hope they all have a great time.” Dawn Morrison, Lewis-Manning Hospice Communications Officer, added: “We are very grateful to all those who make up the team. It’s great to have people taking part in fundraising events in aid of local causes. Sponsorship money from these types of events is really important fundraising income for us and helps us to continue providing vital care services to the local community.” To support Le Mans Aide and help raise funds for two of Dorset’s hospices, please donate at www.justgiving.com/howardbrownlow -Ends- Notes to Editors Julia’s House is Dorset’s hospice dedicated to children with life-limiting conditions. The majority of the children that it cares for are unlikely to live into adulthood (defined as beyond the age of 18). The children’s hospice complements the work of the Julia’s House Community Team, which consists of 65 nurses and carers who travel the county, providing life-changing support for families in their own homes. In 2008 the charity provided 7,318 hours of care in the community and 5,170 hours of care at the hospice in Corfe Mullen, equating to an overall 65% increase in the care hours compared with the previous year. It costs around £2.4m to run Julia’s House, yet the charity receives just three per cent of its total annual funding from the government. The rest of the charity’s essential income is raised through the generosity of the Dorset community, corporate partners and charitable foundations. For more information about Julia’s House, please contact 01202 607 400 or visit www.julias-house.org Julia’s House achieved an outstanding ranking of 14th overall in the Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work For 2009 and was also awarded the maximum Three Star rating by Best Companies in 2009. This elite ‘Michelin-style’ star accreditation recognised the excellent workforce engagement and management as ‘Extraordinary’. This rating placed Julia’s House as the highest ranked organisation in Dorset and the top children’s charity in the UK. Julia’s House Media Contact: Emma Spearing, Hazel PR Tel: 01202 862411 Fax: 01202 862301 Mobile: 07736 341828 E-mail: emma.spearing@hazelpr.com Lewis-Manning Hospice provides free specialist palliative nursing care to over 650 people every year living with cancer and other life threatening illnesses, such as Motor Neurone disease, Parkinson’s disease, cardiac and renal failure. The day hospice service provides practical, physical and emotional support and helps people adapt to their illness and enhance quality of life. Day hospice also allows carers to have respite in the knowledge that their loved ones are being cared for. Lewis-Manning Hospice also runs a lymphoedema clinic, for the swelling of a limb that is sometimes caused by cancer or the treatment for cancer, and a breathlessness clinic for the relief of breathlessness mainly due to cancer of the lung. Approximately one-third of the costs come via NHS Bournemouth & Poole. After this funding Lewis-Manning Hospice still needs to raise over £40,000 per month. In June Lewis-Manning Hospice launched its Time to Care Appeal to raise £2.5 million to build a new state of the art 12 bedded in-patient unit in the existing hospice grounds and support the growth and development of existing services. For more information about Lewis-Manning Hospice, please contact 01202 708 470 or visit www.lewis-manning.co.uk Lewis-Manning Hospice Media Contact: Dawn Morrison, Communications Officer Tel: 01202 701000 Fax: 01202 701890 E-mail: dawn@lewis-manning.co.uk

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