After covering Leicester City Football Club’s coast to coast bike which raised money for LOROS in November, Soar Magazine visited The Foxes’ Belvoir Drive training ground to see Nigel Pearson and Alan Birchenall MBE present a cheque to Diane Morris, the charity’s Fundraising Manager.

As well as handing over the cash raised from the Newcastle to Carlisle trek, the bikes ridden by Nigel and Birch were given to the two highest bidders from a recent LOROS auction.

Jo Lankton, an avid Foxes fan, made the winning bid for Nigel Pearson’s bike and was really happy to help out LOROS.

“LOROS is very good charity and we’re big Leicester City fans. Nigel is doing an excellent job and we decided it would be a good idea to bid for his bike and give the money to a good cause.”

City season ticket holder, Eric Johnson, now based outside of Leicester, stumped up the cash for the Birch’s bike, before generously donating it back to LOROS to auction again.

“It’s a good cause and I support Wakefield Hospice, which is near to where I live. I’m still a City season ticket holder and I thought I’d like to do something to help LOROS. I bid on the bike and won and I’ve come down today for the presentation, but I’ve decided to donate it back to LOROS so they can auction it off again and make more money.”

The bikes were initially donated by Graham Goode’s, based on Lutterworth Road in Aylestone, and Graham explained to us why they got involved.

“We first got involved with Birch a few years ago when he cycled past the garage on this rickety old thing and we decided to give him one of our bikes.

“He rang us about the club’s involvement with LOROS and asked if we’d like to help out in any way so we decided to donate the bikes for the ride. When Alan first called he asked if he could borrow a couple of bikes and that turned out to be 19!

“We always try and help out where we can and it’s all for a good cause. They’ve raised quite a bit of money and it’s great for us to have played a part so we decided to donate Alan and Nigel Pearson’s bike to LOROS to auction off.”

Diane Morris, the Fundraising Manager for LOROS, is delighted with the charity’s link up with football club and really appreciates the involvement of the backroom staff.

“It’s fantastic really, in our wildest dreams we couldn’t have expected the relationship and the partnership with the football club to have taken off in the way it has. For Nigel, Alan and all the backroom staff to take time out and do the bike ride for LOROS was absolutely amazing. A lot of them are very well known people as well and I never expected for them to do something so wonderful for us. I know they enjoyed it and I think it was quite a good team building exercise for them, but at the end of the day they were doing it for a superb cause and they wanted to do it.

“For key people at the heart of this football club to give up their time, particularly when they’ve been very successful, halfway through the season is just amazing. I’m really, really thrilled and so, so grateful to everybody that’s been involved and for the interest from everybody.”

Diane admits the link up with the football club has been even more beneficial then they had hoped.

“Being involved with the football club, which is the heart of the city has helped raise our profile and the city as a whole has got more involved with the charity. I feel as though Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland has come alive wanting to support LOROS and everything we do. That was one of the main things we wanted from the relationship so that people would be aware of the wonderful work we do and the vast range of services we provide.

“It’s not just the manager and Alan Birchenall that have helped out, the players have been to our shops, Matt Oakley got behind our ‘Lunch for LOROS’ appeal and we’ve had shop competitions and the winners are going to the game against Bristol City as guests of the club, so Leicester City have been very generous.”

Diane also paid tribute to Eric Johnson who not only paid for the Birch’s bike, but also donated it back to the charity to sell on again.

“Even now we’re still getting money from the event and for Eric to have donated the bike back to us is absolutely wonderful. It means even more income for us and I’m sure there will be someone interested in purchasing the bike ridden by Alan Birchenall MBE. It just shows what a wonderful place Leicestershire is and the people do really want to help.”