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Fostering Fun Day at Birmingham Wheels Park
May 24, 2010
For Foster Care Fortnight 2010, FCA's Chris and Morris are taking on the mammoth challenge of cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats, raising awareness of fostering as well as raising money for the For our Children foundation in Bulgaria.We're tracking the guys as the make their way through the cities, which recently saw them pedaling their way through Birmingham - raising awareness of fostering in Birmingham along the way.
Keep up-to-date with their progress via our Foster Care Fortnight 2010 page. For now, let's see what they got up to as they made their way through the Midlands.
Day 7
As Chris and Morris’ epic challenge reached the Midlands, the guys enjoyed a well-earned day of rest at Bromsgrove. The day involved dining with Jim Cockburn, FCA’s co-founder and Chairman. “Jim was shocked: “You look too healthy, are you sure you’ve cycled from Lands End!?” He hadn’t seen us the day before; we defiantly looked like we had done the distance that day,” remarked Chris.
The guys’ focus soon switched to the day ahead: a short but packed day at Birmingham Wheels Park.
Day 8
“We headed out in the early morning heat and set of for Birmingham. Within a mile we where sweltering in the heat," described Chris.
“As we entered the outskirts of Birmingham the heat dissipated slightly under the shady trees that lined the roads and we passed the old Longbridge car manufacturing site. Rose tinted thoughts took me back to my Brown Morris Marina and the fond memories of putting it through a hedge on a slippery Somerset road as a mere youth!
"We found our way to the Birmingham Wheels Park and the days events were in full swing, roller-skating, bouncy castle and raffles all in aid off the cause.
"The in-line roller-skating looked good fun and I had to have a go, despite a few Health and Safety concerns!
"The event was nearly over and we said farewell to colleagues and made our way along the surreal Birmingham canal system. You realise how central the canals were to the industrial and manufacturing backbone of Great Britain. Now the buildings are in decay but the land and waterways have strangely been re-claimed buy nature.
"We reached our journeys end at Sutton Coldfield all hot and bothered, ready for food and cold baths."
Today’s stats:
25 miles
12 MPH Average
Day 9
"We left our hotel in Sutton Coldfield around 9.30am under clear blue skies. It was going to be another scorcher. We rode through Sutton Park and past the place were we’d picnicked on the grass the previous evening," Chris explains.
"Picnicking in the park had been a relaxing way to end a hot and bothered day in Birmingham.
"We really enjoyed today’s cycling – bright sunshine, a light tail wind, long flat roads, straight and easy. Mostly up the A38 today, the temperature touched 29 degrees Centigrade. In places the tarmac was melting!
"All in all, a perfect Cycle Challenge day on the road North. Tomorrow we visit the Derby Office, then a long and probably hilly ride up to Leeds. The weather is predicted to be getting cooler."
Where do you want to go now?
More fostering news stories
Foster Care Fortnight 2010 Cycle Challenge page
Learn more about fostering in the Midlands
Learn more about fostering in Birmingham
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Foster Care Associates Limited, Registered Company in England and Wales
Registered Office: Malvern View, Saxon Business Park, Hanbury Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4AD
Company Registration Number: 04322806