Join our London to Paris 2019 Adventure…..

START YOUR ADVENTURE HERE…

Dear Adventurer,

We welcome you to join us on the iconic London to Paris Cycle. This exciting ride will take you from London through beautiful English villages and into the stunning countryside of rural France before you reach the finish line of your challenge under the Eiffel Tower! Plus – you will have the chance to enjoy a full day in Paris to watch the Tour de France finale on the Champs Elysees! What an experience! Whether you are an experienced rider looking to put in some mileage or a complete beginner on your first ever multi-day ride, you will find other cyclists at your level, make friends for life and go on an incredible adventure that will stay with you forever.

We look forward to welcoming you on the challenge of a lifetime! Sign up here 

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE…

Date

24th – 28th July 2019

No. of days

5 days (4 days cycling)

Registration Fee

Secure your place on this challenge with a registration fee of £125.(1)

Funding options

Charity Fundraiser: Pledge to raise a minimum sponsorship amount of £1,650.(2) or
Self-funder: Choose to pay the tour costs of £825 yourself.(3)

Reserve your space on the cycle here or head to www.skylineoverseas.co.uk.

Notes:

1. The registration fee is non-refundable. 2. All fundraising incurs costs. The tour costs are 50% of the minimum sponsorship level. The first 80% of this minimum sponsorship is due 12 weeks before the event. 3. Those who self-fund their place will receive an invoice for the tour costs 14 weeks before the event.

JOANNA’S GUIDE TO LONDON TO PARIS

Our European Cycles Operations Manager, Joanna, is a keen cyclist and London to Paris was a big challenge she wanted to tick off her bucket list! Here she shares her trip tips…

“There’s something incredible about saying you’ve cycled from London to Paris and although the finish is always in sight it really is the journey that sets this challenge apart from others. You start the cycle with a group of strangers and after miles of laughs, jokes and undulations fuelled by plenty of jelly babies and bananas you finish in Paris as firm friends with the added bonus of witnessing the finale of the Tour de France – it’s just so exciting and a fantastic experience for any cyclist!”

Joanna’s Top Tips

Like any challenge, this cycle will take you out of your comfort zone but is sure to be an experience you never forget.

Take the training seriously but you don’t have to go overboard. These trips are designed to be a challenge but also enjoyable. Tick off the longest day in terms of distance at least once before you go and make sure you practice cycling on back to back days. The better prepared you are, the more you will enjoy the trip.

Make sure you enjoy the ride at your own speed – this isn’t a race! Take in all of the beautiful scenery and don’t rush your journey, you’ll meet cyclists of all abilities along the way!

I’d definitely recommend investing in some padded shorts (you’ll thank me on those longer cycling days!) and it goes without saying that a good bike will make your challenge much more enjoyable – make sure you get plenty of training on the bike you’ll be riding to Paris on!

Support

From the moment you sign up, to the trip itself, we’ll be with you every step of the way.
You’ll have your own dedicated Event Coordinator in the office who will be on hand to help with anything from training tips to discussing fundraising ideas and what to pack. On the challenge itself you’ll be supported by our team of Skyline crew, including a mechanic, who will work tirelessly to get everyone safely and happily to the finish line!

Exploring Paris

We provide your return Eurostar journey and bike transport back to London St Pancras on Day 5 but you may be interested in exploring more of this wonderful city, be it visiting Notre Dame, The Louvre or maybe even a trip to Disneyland Paris!

If you stay on in France after the end of the cycle you’ll need to arrange your own return transport for you and your bike.

ITINERARY

Day 1 London to Calais
Our challenge begins bright and early from Crystal Palace heading south towards the coast. Today’s route winds through the beautiful Kent countryside before we reach the famous white cliffs of Dover. From here we catch the ferry to Calais for our first overnight stop.
Approx. 95 miles cycling

Day 2 Calais to Arras
La belle France! Stunning picturesque countryside awaits us in northern France as we travel south from Calais to Desvre, a small market town known for its ceramics. We cycle through charming villages before reaching Arras, a town steeped in history and heavily affected during both the World Wars.
Approx. 75 miles cycling.

Day 3 Arras to Beauvais
Our route this morning crosses the river Somme out of Arras. The Somme is perhaps most famous for its battles but it is also a Celtic word for ‘tranquility’, summing up the feeling of the day as you cycle through this beautiful region. We finish the day in Beauvais where the market square is a true highlight with several of the buildings

dating from the twelfth to sixteenth centuries.
Approx. 70 miles cycling.

Day 4 Beauvais to Paris
Our final day of cycling and the big push to Paris! We are still treated to some stunning countryside all the way up to our lunch spot by the River Seine. After lunch we follow the river down through the suburbs until we reach the Bois de Boulogne – the largest park in Paris. We then have a short ride along the famous wide boulevards of Paris before reaching our finishing point at the Eiffel Tower!
Approx. 60 miles cycling.

Day 5 Paris to London on the Eurostar
The day is yours to soak up the Parisian way of life and explore the city and visit the landmarks only yesterday you were cycling by. We’ll be catching an evening Eurostar back to London so you can stake claim to a viewing spot and cheer on your cycling heroes as today sees the climax and finale of the Tour de France! Upon arrival at St Pancras you will be reunited with your bike which will have been transported for you overnight.

Due to the nature of the challenge, this complex itinerary is subject to change.

We Launch a new Badge…..

We are very pleased to announce the introduction of our brand new Be Strong badge for cancer fighters, survivors and supporters.

We are currently running a competition across our social media sites to name it. So if you want to be in with a chance of being the one who names him, get on Facebook or Twitter today !

Every penny of the £3 cost will go towards helping the charity save more lives.

Get yours today here!

Meet the BTC Ladies 2018/2019

We have the greatest pleasure to reveal the new Balls to Cancer Ladies football team for the new 2018/19 season.

The Ladies are still in the Birmingham County Women’s premier league and looking forward to a great season with a brilliant squad.

Our main sponsor remains Alwin Logistics Ltd

Our Away team Sponsor is Davies’s Domestic Appliances 

Our Training Kit Sponsorship is still available at £400

We still have some players who need sponsors for just £20 each. For this you get your business named on our website, the team website and will be advertised on own social media outlets.

If you want to get involved email BTCLFC@Ballstocancer.com

Our Team….

No 1 Amy Pooler Sponsored by Leigh Rathbone

No 2 Ann-Marie Abbotts (Vice Captain) sponsored by Andy Knight

No 5 Corey Lees

No 6 Alex Bates Sponsored by Damian White

No 7 Emma Dunn

No 8 Sophie Nuttall Sponsored by Geo.E.Davies

No 9 Nikki Tranter (Captain) Sponsored by Mark Evans Transport

No 10 Leah George Sponsored By Geo.E.Davies

No 11 Maisie Allen

No 12 Cath Postin (Assistant Manager)

No 14 Stacey Russell Sponsored by The Badgeman

No 15 Sara Gamble

No 16 Sally-Anne Davies Sponsored by Geo.E.Davies

No 17 Olivia Zare

No 19 Amy Oakley

No 21 Sarah Speke Sponsored by Geo.E.Davies

No 22 Sarah Bourne

No 23 Claire Dangerfield Sponsored by Stuart Glover

No 24 Lorraine Hughes

No 26 Sophie Lewis

No 27 Kanika Green

No 28 Sunita Yardley-Patel

No 29 Michelle Davies-Plant

No 30 Rebecca Brough

Gentlemen Have You Got Life Insurance?

It is very important for us men to get life insurance and so often we don’t. When we die we can not protect our families from the emotion of loosing you but you can protect your family financially and ultimately also having the assistance.

That is why we have teamed up with the fantastic people who are there to get you covered at a cost to suit you. 

life insurance is something that is quite necessary in this day and age, and the reasons are not always as obvious as what everyone sees. Sometimes these reasons are so farfetched that few would ever consider them, and yet they seem to happen an alarming number of times. This then bolsters the reason for getting insurance even more, including the lesser done Insurance For Parents which has quite a bit of necessity behind it if you know where to look. This piece will help by highlighting the crucial aspects and the most common reasons for why it is needed.
With the need for insurance laid out, the need for parental life insurance should be likewise made clear. Starting with the obvious, your parents would obviously want to make sure that they do not leave you burdened with what responsibilities they have incurred. These may vary, but if it involves financial settlement, a life insurance payout will most definitely suffice. A funeral arrangement can even be the reason for a policy. Check here to know more about final expense insurance or funeral insurance.

Of course, there are a few things to keep in mind when you want to get your parents insured. The first is actually getting their permission. An insurance policy would not be right without that. Second is to find out exactly what amount you will want the payout to be. This is crucial because it would determine how much you will have to pay. Also, there is the type of insurance to choose. This will also affect the amount that the policy will cost along with everything else that has already been mentioned.There are many companies that offers this kind of insurance. Just try doing a search on search engines. 

So please before you do anything else get on and get a quote you will be surprised at how easy it is to do and how great it is to know you have got your family covered.

Dan and Nathan Shave their heads to raise funds for Balls to Cancer

The amazing Dan Edger from The Only Way Is Essex and Nathan Massey from Love Island have kindly agreed to shave their heads on the 30th May.

The boys are hoping to raise funds to help us support more cancer fighting families nationwide.

Working exclusively for Hairburst, Dan and Nathan have put aside time in the hope to raise this money for us and help us eradicate male cancers.

The #DanAndNathanShave will take place at The Refinery Barbers, Mayfair.

Scarlett Weston, Head of Product Development, Hairburst says: “When it came to concepts for launching our brand new Hairburst for men product, there was no question we wanted this to be a charity campaign, to allow us to give back, and there’s nobody we’d rather be doing it with than Balls to Cancer, Dan and Nathan. it’s our aim to raise as much money as possible during the campaign and we hope our customers, the social media community and fans of the boys will help us to achieve our goals.

Dan Edgars Says: “I think that it’s important to raise awareness of all male cancers as there are young guys like me find it too embarrassing or can’t be bothered to go and get checked out. There is no doubt that there’s a stigma attached to just the check-up and feeling like its pointless – but it really is just two minutes that could save your life. it’s something that’s very common in guys and it’s important to raise awareness of this, thats why I’m involved with the Hairburst charity campaign.

Nathan Massey says: There’s no doubt how important this charity is to both me and Cara, Cara has recently suffered a family loss to cancer and has had several members of her family over the years find out also that they have cancer too. So not only does this make what we’re doing an important thing to do to raise awareness, it’s personal to us too. When Hairburst asked me to take part in their charity campaign with Balls to Cancer, it was a no brainer. Making such a small gesture to raise valuable money for an important charity is the least I can do, and I really hope that everyone gets behind me and Dan by donating. Roll on the 31st May

Please help them reach this amazing target.

The boys raised over £500 well done!

My Farewell Note join us to offer a very important service.

We at Balls to Cancer are very pleased to announce that we are working together with the brilliant My Farewell Note to offer an essential service to offer a crucial link to a lost loved one at a very emotional time.

Losing someone close to you can be a very traumatic and upsetting experience. While we may not like to think about it, the unpredictable nature of life means that we don’t always have the opportunity to express our feelings, resolve disputes, or end things in the way we would like. With myfarewellnote, you can offer the gift of comfort and support to those you leave behind, helping them come to terms with what has happened.

By giving you the opportunity to prepare, create, and store messages for the special people in your life, myfarewellnote provides you with the comfort of knowing that should the worst happen, your loved ones will know how much they meant to you. This comes with the assurance that your personalised messages, photos, videos and audio clips will be securely stored, and delivered to those you choose at the appropriate time. With the ability to access your account through our website or via the mobile app, you can create, edit, or remove notes whenever and wherever you like.

Notes can take the form of written messages, photos, videos and audio clips, or a combination of all four, and you’ll be able to edit and amend them as many times as you like. To some, dying is an occupational hazard (members of the armed forces, for example). For all of us, it is an inevitability (to those sadly diagnosed with a terminal illness, sooner than expected). For the majority, it’s a certainty that it will happen, but with no scope for predictability. The ability to leave friends, family or loved ones with a special message can provide an incredible sense of comfort, at a time when they are likely to need it the most.

 

The Sofahouse in Tipton Raise Funds to Help Cancer Fighters

The brilliant boys at Sofahouse have joined our fight against cancer. For every order they get from people quoting Balls to Cancer sent them, they will make a donation to us.

Sofahouse are bespoke manufacturers of three piece suites, corner sofa’s and many many more. You can design it, you can choose your colour and material!

These boys are where the big boys buy their sofas! So if you are in the market for a new suite speak to these guys first.

Get exactly what you want at a better price than the high street.

Get in touch today and don’t forget to tell them we sent you!

Clothes and shoe recycling with our partners Green Global Recycling.

We are pleased to launch our new and updated clothes & shoe recycling bins with our fantastic partners Green Global recycling.

Clothes recycling is one of the great ways you can help us raise funds as well as helping people worldwide with recycled clothes.

We are looking for locations across the west midlands to site our bins. If you have somewhere we could place our 5 or 6 foot bins, please get in touch today.

Please help us and in doing so help more people fighting cancer.