Steel Valley Ride boosts Cut Gate pot

The Steel Valley ride was a massive success this year – over a hundred riders registered for the 31 mile event and in the process brought a hefty chunk of money to the Mend Our Mountains appeal for Cut Gate.

The ride is an annual event to help raise funds for the Steel Valley Project – a countryside management charity in Stocksbridge working to improve the environment for people and wildlife in the Upper Don area.

But this year it also helped to raise funds for the British Mountaineering Council ‘Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million’ campaign, raising money to repair the boggy sections on the iconic Cut Gate bridleway, linking Langsett and Howden reservoirs. As the Steel Valley Ride route travelled over Cut Gate, the charity decided to donate a percentage of this year’s entry fees to the campaign, totalling a fantastic £468.

Tom Newman, Project Manager at the Steel Valley Project said “Everybody deserves massive congratulations for completing their own challenge, whether it was to finish quickly or just to finish, push their mileage on a bike, or raise money for charity.”

Some finished in an impressive three to four hours, whereas others made use of the whole day, but special mention goes to one lady who entered the ride after stopping smoking and starting mountain biking only five months before completing the event.

Stocksbridge Mayor, Cllr Julie Grocutt, started off the riders in the morning and then drew two winners for a prize draw to win prizes donated by Trek.

“We’d like to say a huge thanks to the Steel Valley project for their contribution,” said Inigo Atkin, Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million co-ordinator. “Every little helps so each and every rider’s efforts will really help to achieve this challenging target.

You can find out more about the Steel Valley Project here.

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1 August 2018