Spinathon raises £2,500 for Springhill Hospice

Spinathon participants

A spinathon organised to raise money for Springhill Hospice has raised a staggering £2,500 with the total still climbing.

Held on Sunday 25 January, 40 fundraisers of varying fitness levels all took part in the three hour event at Rochdale Leisure Centre.

Under the expert guidance of Spinning Instructor Shelley Burns, men, women and even an entire family, including teenagers, saddled up to burn the calories and shed pounds for Springhill Hospice.

Shelley, who has been an instructor with Link4Life for 18 years, has been raising money for local charities for 10 of those years and decided to hold the event in memory of a family friend who died at the Hospice in December 2014.

She said: “I’ve been raising money for local charities by using Spinning and fitness as a tool for many years. Encouraging people to get fit, lose weight and have fun at the same time as raising money for a good cause, is what it’s all about.

“This year I’ve chosen Springhill as it is close to my heart and also the hearts of so many people in the community.

"January is the perfect time of year to put on an event like this – people want a fresh start and doing something as part of a group motivates and inspires people.

“The people who took part had varying fitness levels, from the very fit and intermediates to complete beginners who did as little or as much as they wanted.”

Springhill Hospice Community Fundraiser, Lillie Winterbottom said: “When Shelley came to see me, it was quite a coincidence as I had just booked myself in to a beginners spin class.”

Shelly showered praise on all of her cyclists, including 11-year-old Aaron Maddocks who cycled the entire three hours, an amazing feat especially as he joined in the spinathon after his usual Sunday football training session.

John Matson at Link4life was another hero of the day, arranging for bikes to be transported from different centres especially for the event.

“What a fantastic experience. An amazing way to exercise, raise money for the Hospice and bring us all together as a team. People from different classes came together and created such a lovely atmosphere. I can’t wait to do it again next year when we’ve decided to take on four hours instead of three,” said Shelley.

It is hoped that the event will become an annual fundraising event for the Hospice.