On January 25 and 26, a group of a dozen cyclists based in The Gambia, West Africa, decided they would attempt to cycle most of the length of the country, from East to West in just two days, ending up on the Atlantic coast — 'the smiling coast' as the holiday brochures have it. They wanted to ride for a charity, and for one charity in particular — The Chain of Hope.
The Chain of Hope exists to provide children suffering from life-threatening heart disease with corrective surgery and treatment to which they would not otherwise have access. It does this in three ways:
- By sending out medical teams to treat children in their own countries.
- By setting up training programmes for local surgeons and medical staff.
- By bringing children to the UK for corrective surgery.
 |
| A young cardiac patient on the MRC Ward. |
All money raised by Gambia — Sand to Sea goes directly to the Chain of Hope charity, and be used exclusively for children with heart disease in The Gambia. The organisers and riders covered their own costs for transport, accommodation and so on and do not benefit personally in any way.
