Sports event raises funds for care centre

ABUSED and abandoned children at the Daily Bread home will receive warm blankets and clothes following the Bodyshop heavyweight bicycle challenge, which took place on Saturday morning.

Daily Bread is a child and youth care centre 20km outside East London, caring for 60 children aged between six and 18.

The Bodyshop, a division of MercedesBenz SA’s East London manufacturing plant saw 10 members from the unit run for 30km, from just beyond the Python Park while 10 cycled for 68km, starting from Stutterheim garage and ending at Bonza Bay Beach. Participants raised funds by getting friends and family members to sponsor them per kilometre, while others bet on who would either survive or pull out from the challenge.

The Dispatch watched three men, weighing about 120kg each, on their bikes panting, as they climbed hills and raced down the dales. The effort rendered them silent while colleagues cheered for them on the side.

Speaking to the Daily Dispatch at the finishing line, while catching his breath from cycling, divisional manager Mihlali Sogoni, said: “This challenge has been long overdue.

“We were meaning to do it during July, for Nelson Mandela Day but we were not happy with the R3 000 we raised so we decided to have this challenge to boost the amount and had a target of at least R8 000 to buy more blankets and clothes for the children at Daily Bread.”

Production team manager Phakamile Faku, who ran the challenge, said he had participated to give back to the less fortunate.

“As a team leader I wanted to lead by example, to encourage others to participate for the good cause.

“This was not a race, but a team effort and it also allowed us to interact outside our working environment where we are always under pressure.”

Maintenance team leader Pastor Louis Marillier, who led the pack and arrived first, said he was happy to be part of the challenge.

“We are always thinking of ways to raise funds, and this has been awesome. Although we are doing it for charity, it has also been a great team-building exercise,” he said.

Daily Bread operations manager Irma Joubert said they were extremely grateful for the continuous support from the division.

“The Bodyshop has adopted us as their project, for which we are extremely grateful.

“The most important aspect of their involvement is not just the funds they make available to us, but their actual active participation with our children,” said Joubert.

Joubert said they were very fortunate to have received so much support from the community at large.

“We have a newly built home, which can house 16 additional children but we are in need of some furniture, playground equipment, mattresses, anything that can add value to the lives of our children,” she said. —