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Cyclists raise $2.6m for Bustamante hospital

Published:Tuesday | August 17, 2010 | 12:00 AM
Alan Barnes, managing director of Red Stripe, leads a team of cyclists onto the Bustamante Hospital for Children compound yesterday, to conclude an all-island cycle challenge for charity. The team had cycled for about 33 hours with mininmal breaks. The challenge was used to raise funds for the hospital, to specifically facilitate the heart surgery of seven children. - Contributed

André Lowe, Senior Staff Reporter

There is now a great sense of hope for several patients of the Bustamante Children's Hospital in Kingston, after scores of individuals from corporate Jamaica and within the local cycling fraternity, teamed up with the Chain of Hope charity organisation to raise in excess of $2.6 million for the institution.

The funds will be used to purchase materials needed to carry out seven critical heart surgery operations at the facility, as well as assist in the duties undertaken by the orthopaedic department.

The fund-raiser took the form of a 400-mile cycle race, that started on Sunday at the facility and took the participants through the parishes of St Thomas, Portland, St Ann, Trelawny, St James, Manchester, Clarendon and Westmoreland, before culminating yesterday afternoon on the grounds of the hospital.

Organisers had originally targeted $1.9 million, but were able to pedal past that figure through the assistance of a large number of corporate sponsors, who were on-board from the onset.

Extremely pleased

Alan Barnes, managing director of Red Stripe and one of the five cyclists who actually did the entire course, rode onto the grounds of the institution shortly after 4 pm yesterday to loud cheers and hugs, beaming from ear to ear.

Barnes was extremely pleased with the effort and added that they are looking to make this an annual event.

"It's absolutely fantastic ... we wanted to make a difference here at the hospital and we are happy that we were able to do this, it has been a huge success," Barnes said.

"We are already talking to the cycling federation to see how we can make this bigger and better in the coming years and possibly make it a three-day event. If we do it later down in the year, we should be able to get greater support from overseas as well and this is great for funding," he added.

President of the Jamaica Cycling Federation, Vaughn Phang, was among the cyclists until the 200-mile mark, but was nonetheless left with a feeling of fulfilment for his involvement in the initiative.

"A few months ago when we met with Al Barnes it seemed like something that was impossible, but I must say that I'm very impressed with how it turned out. It was fulfilling and when you consider the kids who are going to benefit it's definitely all worth it," said Phang.

Hospital CEO, Beverley Needham, was not available for comment.