A group of rugby students and staff recently cycled 280 miles to raise over £2000 for local hospital, Musgrove Park in Taunton.
The Taunton School squad took part in a mammoth bike challenge on static bikes based at Musgrove Park Hospital. They ‘set off’ on their journey at 7am cycling solidly for nearly 12 hours. Their aim was to raise enough money to contribute to medical equipment and toys for the children who are patients at the hospital.
Director of Rugby at Taunton School, Nic Sestaret said: “Musgrove Park Hospital has supported both staff and students at Taunton School and we felt it was time to give a little back. It was a tough but enjoyable challenge and I’m so pleased we managed to collect £2,154.”
The 17 students and 4 staff were tasked with cycling 16kms per half an hour to enable them to achieve 448kms (280miles) in 12 hours. All participants pushed themselves extremely hard and achieved the total distance in just 11 hours and 10 minutes.
Karen Tyler, A&E Lead Nurse at Musgrove Park Hospital said: “Thank you to the Taunton School team for a fantastic fundraising effort. So far with the money raised we have purchased two trauma mattresses which support the care of severely injured patients and are invaluable to the department.”
Nic Sestaret added: “I feel extremely proud of the players and staff for their determination on this challenge. It was a fantastic team effort and I am thrilled that we exceeded our fundraising target. I must thank everyone for the generous donations; it’s with an event like that we can see how much people care about the community. Thank you also so much to all staff at Musgrove for their welcome and support and to volunteers and colleagues Carol and Lisa Manley for keeping our spirits up throughout the day.”
