Raising Money for the British Heart Foundation

Did you know that Fromeside Youth Club (FYC) on Watleys End Road in Winterbourne, originally Winterbourne Youth Club, was the first purpose built youth club in England and, as such, was a wonderful place to go instead of hanging around shop doorways. This is where local man Mr Kim Fitzgerald   started his fundraising efforts. He was approached by the then Youth Club leader Mike Haslin in 1970 to become one of the part time youth leaders, helping with the 11-14 age group on Thursday nights. Kim soon became leader in charge for Thursday nights, and continued his role right up to 1983 when his job took him away from home and sadly he was unable to continue working at the Club.

Kim has fond memories of the youth club at Fromeside, building Go-Karts and a Hovercraft with some of the young people and attending numerous rock climbing, abseiling and Canoeing holidays, and generaly joining in and having a wonderful time.   There was also a good under 14 s football team, senior football team, and a mixed hockey team that Kim was involved with at the club. This all kept Kim very busy in his younger days and, as if that wasn’t enough, he was on the executive of Avon Association of Youth Clubs (AAYC) for a time, and met such celebraties as the Duke of Edinburgh, Robin Cousins, Simon Bates, Noel Edmonds and even the Mayor of Bristol, who visited youth clubs in Avon in his limousine!

Kim s fund raising days all started at FYC as he organised a lot of sponsored walks for various charities and for the youth club and in 1998 he was invited to a British Heart Foundation cycle ride. Kim enjoyed this so much he has been undertaking charity bike rides ever since. In 2004 he did a 250 mile off-road cycle ride in South Africa, raising £5,300.00 for The British Heart Foundation – BHF and more recently in 2010 he rode from London to Paris, raising £3,500.00 for Action Medical.

Kim is now undertaking a new challenge, he is planning to cycle Ireland from end to end in August 2014, this is 2 months after his 60th birthday! Kim is hoping to raise at least £1500.00 doing this ride from Mizen Head, the most southern point, to Malin Head the most northern point, between August 23rd and August 30th 2014.   This Kim tells me, is a total of 440 miles in 6 days (wow I puff and pant when I cycle up the hill to the Co-Op!)

This ride is to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF), so they can continue to save lives.

Kim is funding the cost of the trip himself and all money donated will go to the BHF Charity.

If you would like to donate to this worthy cause and help Kim reach his fundraising goal for this event please visit his just giving website:    http://www.justgiving.com/Kim-Fitzgerald

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