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South-coast car dealer saddles-up for charity
A four-strong team from south-coast Volkswagen dealer, Peter Cooper, embarked on their toughest fundraising challenge yet, cycling 500 miles through France in three days to raise thousands of pounds for local charity Wessex Heartbeat.
The Velo Vosges Challenge is not for the faint-hearted, stretching from the historic town of Arras in the north of France to the Alsace region on the French-German border. The route took the Peter Cooper team through First World War battlefields, along the River Somme and across the famous vineyards of Champagne. They then sped through the Lorraine region before beginning their ascent high up into the towering Vosges Mountains, then back down towards the finish line in the beautiful village of Riquewihr.
The Peter Cooper team raised over £6,000 for Wessex Heartbeat by completing the challenge. The charity helps to fund units such as the Wessex Cardiac Centre in Southampton General Hospital, one of the UK's leading heart treatment centres treating around 20,000 people every year, of which 1,000 are children.
Wessex Heartbeat Fundraising Co-ordinator, Melody Carter said: “Support from local companies such as Peter Cooper Volkswagen is tremendously important in enabling us to ensure that everyone affected by heart conditions receives the best possible support.”
Darren Cooper, Managing Director of Peter Cooper Volkswagen said: “We absolutely loved the challenge. It was a tough three days, but we couldn’t wait to get on our bikes and start raising money for such a worthwhile cause.”