Cycle ride from Cambridge to Norwich in aid of Norwich Cots for Tots

Did you enjoy the Norwich 50 or 100 cycle ride and fancy doing another then why join a group of like-minded people on our Cambridge to Norwich fundraising ride on Sunday 2nd October 2011.

This is a brand new cycling event 2011 being organised by Bike Events and sponsored by Active Norfolk to help raise funds for the Norwich Cots for Tots Appeal.

This cycle ride starts from Cambridge's Midsummer Common and heading east through a landscape of fenland and patchwork fields and finishes at Norwich and Norwich University. You can take part either as an individual or as a team of 6. Visit http://www.bike-events.com/Ride.aspx?id=309 for details of how to enrol.

Active Norfolk Director Laurie Hull said “Active Norfolk are delighted to sponsor the Cambridge to Norwich ride. Such an event raises the profile of cycling as means of staying fit and healthy as well as a fun way of getting about. This is an excellent opportunity to promote cycling and to support a very worthwhile cause.”

NICU nurse manager Amanda Williamson said: “We’re very grateful to anyone who takes part in this cycle ride and for getting behind our appeal. Every donation, no matter its size, will make a real difference to us and the babies we look after.”

“We are keenly aware how difficult it can be for families who sometimes have to travel long distances to enable their baby to receive care because all our high dependency and intensive care cots are in use. The expansion of cots will mean that more families are able to stay locally while their baby receives the care they need. We are very excited about allowing this improvement to care that families receive.”

The Norwich Cots for Tots appeal is raising money to pay for an additional 4 cots in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which will increase the number of cots from 28 to 32. This means more babies can be cared for locally. The NICU is one of only three specialist neonatal units in the East of England. When we are at capacity babies have to be sent to the nearest unit in either Cambridge or Luton. The demand for specialist care is rising; NICU currently cares for over 850 premature and critically ill babies in a year. Supporting our appeal means local babies can be cared for locally.