Welcomed home after their marathon 500 mile tandem ride are Vicar of St Stephen’s, West Bowling, Bradford, the Revd Jimmy Hinton, and Sarah Hinton, Project Manager of the Shine Community Project, who are hoping to raise £60 thousand to provide their large Victorian church and community centre with underfloor heating.
Jimmy and Sarah (pictured right at a refreshment stop) covered the 500 miles with pedal power alone for the ‘Warm the Heart’ appeal. The eight day bike ride began on Monday May 15th in the midlands and took them from one St Stephens to another. Their ride even be including the fictional St Stephen’s Church in the BBC Radio 4 drama The Archers before reaching the halfway point of St Stephen’s Church, Westminster where they visited the Houses of Parliament (May 18th). They then headed back up north, stopping at another three St Stephen’s Churches on their way home.
The money raised will help the Shine community project, based at St Stephen’s Church, which runs exercise classes, jobs search clubs, arts and crafts classes, refugee welcome groups and much more for more than 250 people each week - as well as worship for a young and growing church family. At the moment any heat is provided by blankets, hot water bottles and a congregation which, according to Sarah Hinton, the Project manager, “huddles together for warmth in the winter.”
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Donations are welcome through the Warm the Heart appeal website, www.warmtheheart.co.uk