Important 2012 Challenge information

Le Mead 2012 was planned at the end of 2011 and after discussions with a number of sponsors, team members and support crew the signs were positive for another huge year for Le Mead.

Since that time I have been contacted by numerous people and for a variety of reasons businesses and Le Meaders have had no option but to withdraw from the challenge of cycling from Paris to London in May.

For this reason it is with regret that we are left with no option but to cancel this year’s challenge. It is obvious that the financial climate across the world is taking its toll and charities are one of the first to suffer. This coupled with the summer of 2012 being full up of events such as the Olympics and Euro 2012 will obviously put the strain on charity organisations and this has hit Le Mead hard.

This is a decision I have taken 3 weeks to make and I have tried so hard to make it happen, but the reality is that this year will not be a successful fundraising year and that is what we are primarily about. I apologise for this and for those of you that did confirm to take part, thank you so much for your dedication but I trust you understand our position.

VERY important Le Mead information

Following on from this news, it is with huge sadness that I am taking the decision to close Le Mead imminently and leave it as a successful, amazing, and wonderful experience for Steve, for me, all of the team members and support crew over the years and hopefully for all of you followers.

We were never meant to become this big!! The only plan was to make Steve’s dream happen of driving around the Millbrook tracks during his battle with leukaemia in 2007. We did this, and since then owing to the amazing support we have cycled hundreds of miles, taken Le Mead international, sweated and cried as we pedalled up mountains, seen football tournaments, walks, talent nights, auctions, raffles, fun days and even delicious cake sales as we all worked together to raise just under £40,000 for the Geoff Thomas Foundation and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

This is an incredible achievement and I sincerely thank every single one of you who has supported, donated, taken part in events and been patient with me while Le Mead has grown into a nationally recognised charity brand. It is a cliché, but I mean this – without you all this would never have been possible and the money raised has helped Geoff in his quest to save lives.

My sincere thanks go to all of our partners and sponsors over the years and I am blown away at the level of interest we attracted and the people we were worked with.

One last thing before we go. Steve was an amazing guy and his bravery and determination will live with me forever. He loved Le Mead and was so proud of what it was becoming. I remind you all that he never smoked or touched alcohol and was a regular church goer. It just shows that this awful illness can strike even the best of us. So one last push to raise a few pounds to help the sufferers of leukaemia - if you have any cash at all that you can spare in memory of Steve or in support of Le Mead and what was achieved then for one final time please donate at:

www.justgiving.com/finallemead

Thank you
Matt

Steve Mead, 12-11-1984 to 15-5-2009. Never forgotten.