Visit Somerset Backs The Great Weston Ride
Posted Tuesday 10th March 2015 –
Visit Somerset, the official tourism organisation for Somerset and its surrounding areas, has joined forces with this year’s Great Weston Ride (www.greatwestonride.com) to encourage even more people to get out on their bikes and experience the enjoyment and sense of achievement that this popular West Country challenge ride offers.
The Great Weston Ride, which is taking place on Sunday 19th July this year, starts in Bristol then heads off into Somerset’s Mendip Hills and across the Somerset Levels before finishing on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare, and Visit Somerset is keen to make the event a central part of its own push to promote cycling and attract more people on bikes to the region.
John Turner, Visit Somerset’s CEO, said; “I am delighted with this development and working with the Great Weston Ride will not only help us to grow the numbers directly supporting the event, but will also help us to understand and grow the wider cycling industry in the county and recognise it for the opportunity it brings. There are huge economic benefits to Visit Somerset getting behind this and other cycling projects, and we look forward to seeing many more cyclists coming into the area through all of our combined efforts.”
Darren McKimm, the Great Weston Ride organiser, said; “We’re delighted that Visit Somerset are supporting the Great Weston Ride and have become a major Event Partner. As many people already know, the GWR offers a spectacular route and is a showcase for what the region has to offer for cyclists, so this partnership is a natural fit with Visit Somerset putting cycling high on its agenda and actively looking to promote cycling opportunities across the region.
“The Great Weston Ride already attracts huge numbers of people and we’re looking to grow that further, and this partnership means that we can now help all our riders and their supporters – including the very many visitors from outside the area – with whatever local information they might need to make their day or stay even more enjoyable. So we’re very much looking forward to working with the Visit Somerset team and to enhancing and adding value to the Great Weston Ride as the partnership develops.”
The Great Weston Ride is now in its sixth year and while it has plenty to offer experienced riders – not least the scenery and spectacular views – it actually appeals to and attracts cyclists of all abilities, including a significant number of novice riders, and every year it receives tremendous feedback and plaudits from participants.
The Ride also has a major partnership with Prostate Cancer UK, the leading male-oriented cancer charity in the UK, and to date riders have raised over £105,000 for PCUK (and over £165,000 for charitable causes as a whole) and, as support continues to grow, lots of participants will once again be raising awareness and money to combat a disease that kills 40,000 men every year.
The event has sold out in advance every year to date and with places filling fast the 2015 Ride looks like being no exception, for further information on the Great Weston Ride, and details on how to enter, can be found at www.greatwestonride.com.
