A team of cyclists from Tong Garden Centre completed the challenging Maserati Tour de Yorkshire ride last week and raised £3,400 for Candlelighters in the process.

The team of nine, including directors, staff, suppliers and friends, rode 84km on some of the the same roads as the fourth and final stage of the Tour de Yorkshire pro race on Sunday, 6^th May.

The ride included 1,228m of ascent, but riders were rewarded with stunning views along the route. Tong Garden Centre Managing Director, Mark Farnsworth said:

"Candlelighters is a fantastic, Yorkshire based charity who support families both financially and emotionally when a family has to go through the horrendous ordeal of a child having cancer."

"As a business, Tong would like to raise £10,000 for them this year. I was joined on the ride by my fellow directors Tom, Charlie and David and we set ourselves a fundraising target of £2,000, so we're naturally delighted to have smashed it!"

Brian Curran, Corporate Fundraiser for Candlelighters is delighted with Tong's support:

"We'd like to say a big thank you to Mark and the team. We need to raise £600,000 to renovate a property for use by families whose children are being treated at Leeds Children's Hospital for cancer, so any support you can give is much appreciated."

The team at Tong Garden Centre aims to raise the £10,000 through a series of fund-raising events and collection boxes at the tills.

The Candlelighters Trust (Candlelighters) is Yorkshire's pre-eminent children's cancer charity, providing practical, emotional and financial support to children living with cancer in Yorkshire and their families.

Tong Garden Centre occupies a 14 acre site in Tong village. It is one of Yorkshire's biggest garden centres with 110,000 square feet of retail space and parking for up to 1,000 cars. If you wish to donate please click here.