TIME is running out for cyclists to sign up to raise funds for St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice in its popular hospice-to-hospice cycle ride.

The Great Somerset Cycle on Sunday, March 24, will follow a new route between Taunton and Yeovil with riders cycling between the two hospice in-patient units.

Sonia Bateman, events fundraiser at the charity, said: “Spring is a fantastic time to enjoy our beautiful countryside by taking part in an organised cycle ride. As a Somerset charity we rely on the support of our local community, so we’re asking all our riders to set themselves a sponsorship target of £150 or make a donation to help us care for people affected by life-limiting illnesses.”

Cyclists can choose to tackle a 40-mile route from Yeovil to Taunton or vice-versa, via Ham Hill Country Park, Langport and West Monkton, or an 80-mile round trip. Groups of riders will set off from Yeovil and Taunton at 9am. Most of the ride is on quiet B-roads which will be marshalled for safety, with on-course mechanical support to help in case of punctures. Refreshments will be available before and after the ride, with a water station at the halfway point.

Places cost £25 and participants are encouraged to raise sponsorship for St Margaret’, which needs to raise more than £9.5m a year to fund its end of life care services. The charity, which supported more than 3,800 people affected by life-limiting illnesses last year, is organising the event for the second time. More than 200 cyclists took part in the first Great Somerset Cycle in 2017.

For more information or to book a place, visit www.st-margarets-hospice.org.uk/Event/the-great-somerset-cycle2019 or call 0845 3459671.