It was a fantastic event. New friends were made and great links were forged between Swansea and Cork. In the process, we raised €15,000, a sum that was shared between three West Cork-based charities: St Joseph’s Community Hospital in Castletownbere, the internationally-renowned Dechen Shying Spiritual Care Centre and CoAction Beara which supports people with learning disabilities.

To find out more about the upcoming 2012 event,  just head over to the Facebook page to see more pictures, say hello to us @fastnetcycle on Twitter or – most importantly – use the contact form here to sign up and join in!

Ciara Murphy presenting Tony O`Sulllivan, Castletownbere RNLI, with some of the proceeds from the Fastnet Charity Cycle 2012. Picture: Niall Duffy

The funds were shared among the RNLI which received €4,600, Beara CoAction which was given €2,300, and palliative care services at both Castletownbere Community Hospital, and the internationally-renowned Dechen Shying Care Centre, both of which also received cheques for €2,300.

While this is the third year the Fastnet Cycle has taken place, it is the first year that funds have been raised for the RNLI, a move inspired by the new lifeboat station at Castletownbere. The 60 cyclists who made the trip to Dingle received a great welcome there, and local members of the RNLI lent a hand to help them with their fundraising in the town.

The Fastnet Cycle event was organised by local garage owner Paul O’Shea, with Matt Padwick and Mary Callaghan from the Dechen Shying Care Centre. ‘We’ve had fantastic support from local businesses here,’ says Paul. ‘Supervalu, Bike’n’Beara, Bantry Tyre Centre, and lots of other local businesses gave us great practical support. Our travel costs were covered by a single donor, and that has meant we’ve been able to pass on even more money to our charities. These are tough times, and people’s generosity is inspiring.’

To find out more about the fourth Fastnet Cycle event which will take place on the June Bank Holiday weekend 2013, use the contact form here on the website.

New friends were made and great links were forged between Swansea and Cork. In the process, we raised €15,000, a sum that was shared between three West Cork-based charities: St Joseph’s Community Hospital in Castletownbere, the internationally-renowned Dechen Shying Spiritual Care Centre and CoAction Beara which supports people with learning disabilities.

You’ll find photos of the event in our gallery here.

It was donated to us by Bantry artist (and Fastnet Charity Cyclist!) Danny Smith. It’s a very fitting image for our event which is raising money for the lifeboat as well as for other local charities.

Bids can be called in, or texted, to 086 895 2890. We have an offer of €200 at the moment, and the painting will be sold on June 15th to the highest bidder.

Join us and you’ll be raising funds for:

* Palliative care at Castletownbere Hospital

*Beara’s Spiritual Care Centre

*CoAction Beara which provides support to people with learning disabilities throughout West Cork

*RNLI Castletownbere

Sponsors and Donors include:

Bike’n'Beara
Wordhoard Communications
More details to follow

To get involved in 2012, sign up for updates on our website.

In the process, we raised €15,000, a sum that was shared between three West Cork-based charities: St Joseph’s Community Hospital in Castletownbere, the internationally-renowned Dechen Shying Spiritual Care Centre and CoAction Beara which supports people with learning disabilities. You’ll find photos of the event in our gallery here.

Thanks to everyone who took part. It was a phenomenal event and the money raised is already making a difference to people’s lives.

For more experienced cyclists, there’s the opportunity to add an extra loop to the route so that they can make the most of their day in South West Wales. All of the cyclists will meet up at the Hotel Ibis again at around 5pm.

That’s where we’ll be saying farewell to any cyclists who are staying in Wales. All of the other riders will be accompanying us back to Cork aboard the Fastnet Line’s ferry, the “Julia”. Thanks to the great support we’ve received from Fastnet Line, our cyclists will benefit from a reduced fare, early boarding and a special menu laid on for us in the Julia’s restaurant. We might call to the bar too, to round off the day and the musicians accompanying us have promised to keep all of the passengers entertained!

On July 2nd, we’ll be back on the bikes again, cycling this time on a 145km route from Ringaskiddy to Castletownbere. Again, there’s the option for the faster cyclists to add an extra loop to the ride, but we’ll all be arriving back in Castletownbere at about 5pm where we’re promised a great welcome, warm showers, a reception at St. Joseph’s Community Hospital, and a gala dinner that night.

We’ll be showing our Welsh guests all that Beara has to offer over the following few days before they head back to Wales on Tuesday’s Fastnet Line sailing.

To keep up to date with our progress, keep an eye on the website here and join us over on our Facebook page where we’ll be posting regular updates throughout the event and on how much money we’re raising for our Fastnet Cycle charities.

We’re looking to set up water stops along the way. If you’d like to get involved in setting one up, just use the contact form here.

The faster cyclists will have the option of adding an extra loop to the route:

We’ll meet up for a great reception in Castletownbere. If you can’t cycle with us, we’d still love to see you there to welcome us home.

To keep up to date with our plans, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

The faster cyclists will have the option of adding an extra loop to the route:

We’ll all be getting home in time to board the Fastnet Line’s ferry, “Julia”, for the trip to Cork by 5pm!