Charity Visitors on Tour
The William Wates Memorial Trust supports charities, many of whom engage with young people through sport.
It was a logical progression to invite 2 young people each year from the charities supported by WWMT to join us on tour for a stage as Charity Visitors.
They ride either a full stage, or as much of it as they possibly can before then helping our team at a feed station. Accompanied by one of their key workers, one or both of them takes the opportunity to talk to our riders after dinner about their experiences, the work of their charity and just how the WWMT grant has helped them.
The benefits of this are twofold:
- A young person gets the opportunity of a lifetime to come and ride a stage of the Tour de France, to challenge themselves not just on the bike, but to talk to the riders who are supporting them.
- Our riders get to meet one of the young people their efforts are supporting and ask them, face to face, about their life and the work of their charity. They also have a unique opportunity to support them in their ride during the day, sharing the camaraderie of the peloton.
"My Le Loop trip was a huge success and I felt a boost of confidence from the trip. Everyone I met was warm, friendly and supportive. I’ve definitely made everlasting memories and experiences from this trip. I was proud of myself for giving road cycling a go, especially without clip on shoes and for me to ride 118km in that heat, and the hilly course. The views were stunning. Now onto my Gold DofE expedition in Brecon next week!"
... the talk and meeting Daley from Star Scheme...was moving, memorable and made a huge impact on me. To hear from a project that the WWMT supports put everything in perspective. It made the charity and fundraising feel personal. Well done for incorporating such an important aspect to the tour and I hope they get to know what an impact they made.
Our Charity Visitors on Tour are funded entirely by one of our 2013 Riders. We are beyond grateful to him for his continued support and generosity.