About TeamFORGE
We are a group of individuals who have come together to support the amazing work undertaken by Rennie Grove, a charity dedicated to providing the best end of life care in the surroundings of the patients own homes.
Supporting Rennie Grove
How We Got Started
TeamFORGE was first created as a concept back in 2014. It came about as a result of
discussions between a small group of individuals and fundraisers at Rennie Grove Hospice Care. Knowing the great work that they do and how hard it is to raise its funding from donations and charity shops the idea of a charity bike ride came to mind.
Rather than it being something the charity organised a dozen or so people hit upon the idea of TeamFORGE, Friends Of Rennie Grove Enthusiasts. Obviously tacking “Enthusiasts” on the end was just a way to make the acronym work, but there was no doubting the team’s enthusiasm.
Isle of Wight Challenge 2015
The plan was to raise £30,000 to celebrate the charity’s 30th anniversary in 2015 and by doing so provide funds to employ a nurse for a whole year. The challenge had to be just that, a challenge. Not just a jolly bike ride, but something that would require dedication and training…and still not be easy. And so it was decided to make it a four day challenge to get to the Isle of Wight, cycle all the way around the outside and then head home by setting off in the wrong direction – to Swindon. Just so that the challenge would be tougher by adding 150 miles or so.
Funds Raised
The rest, as they say, is history. Not only did TeamFORGE triumph over punctures,
mechanicals, tumbles and torrential rain, they also raised more than double the original target and funded two nurses for a whole year. A great event, successfully completed.
But for Rennie Grove the challenge is never completed, because the same funding needs come around every year and the demands of caring for an aging population get ever more.
New Challenge
So, TeamFORGE is getting back on the road with another Island Challenge. Once again we are going to the Isle of Wight. Four days, Five hundred Kilometers. And this time with 40 riders rather than 15 and with ambition to beat the huge total
raised back in 2015.
The Team is getting started on the many miles of training that will be required before setting off in September 2021….they will need your help and, more than anything, your sponsorship to be able to donate the maximum amount possible to help keep Rennie Grove Hospice Care going, providing its vital services to the people of Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire who need it at the end of their lives.
Want to join #TeamFORGE as a cyclist?
Want to become part of #TeamFORGE and join in the cycling challenge. Here is all the information you need to make that decision to join us.
Want to Support The Isle of Wight Challenge - become a sponsor
There are many ways that you can support TeamFORGE, from corporate sponsorship to donations in kind to sponsoring individual riders.