Mountain Bike Challenge: Bikers move mountains for Burnley's Pendleside Hospice in tough new challenge

The first-ever Mountain Bike Challenge, organised by Pendle Panthers BMX Club and Cycle Sport Pendle, earned an impressive £9,249.23. The event, held in June, attracted 138 enthusiastic riders who braved the elements, starting at Towneley Park in Burnley and taking on one of three routes: 9.5 miles, 16.5 miles or 26 miles.

Manny Bashah, who co-founded Pendle Panthers in 2016 with Andy Mcghie in 2016, said: "We're always looking for ways to get involved in charity fundraising, and I'm astonished at the amount of money we raised for Pendleside Hospice. As a team, we've ridden the lights at Blackpool before this, cycled the three peaks of Pendle, and I've also taken part in the Sue Ryder Bronte Off Road Bike Challenge, which inspired this year's event.

"Next year, we'd love to go bigger and better—and fingers crossed for a little more sunshine! We'll be planning the Mountain Bike Challenge again for June next year, so keep an eye out on Pendleside Hospice's website for more details."

Coach Gareth Maybury's sons, Elliott (10) and Theo (8) supported the event by manning the check-points, providing refreshments and encouraging cyclists.

Pauline Shalliker participated in memory of her mum, Dorothy, who passed away at Pendleside Hospice in May. Dorothy was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in her fifties, and after successful surgery, she remained in remission for years. When the cancer returned, she underwent several years of chemotherapy and was referred to Pendleside’s inpatient unit in April this year.

Pauline, who took part in the challenge with her brother-in-law Darren Marsden, raising £595 between them, said “the care and compassion we received as a family was amazing”.

"I saw the Mountain Bike Challenge event being advertised at Pendleside and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do something I love, while being able to raise funds for a charity close to our hearts.

"I always assumed that the hospice primarily supported those in need of direct care. But they are there for the families, too. We could visit our mother whenever we wanted, and amenities like a visitor kitchen that we could use at any time, and having breakfast made for us when we visited during the night, made us all feel valued."