A personal visit to Keech Hospice convinced a Rotary Club president that it should be one of two beneficiaries from this year’s St Albans Charity Cycle Ride.

Based in Luton, the hospice provides specialist palliative care for children in the local area diagnosed with life-limiting or terminal illness.

Caroline Thomson, president of the Rotary Club of St Albans Priory, visited the hospice and said afterwards: “Keech Hospice is a most worthwhile charity to support and I encourage everyone to participate in the Cycle Ride, to help raise as much money as possible for such a good cause.”

The other beneficiary will be Youth Talk in St Albans but any other charity based in Herts can benefit from sponsorship raised by a cyclist if the rider so wishes.

In past years, the three St Albans Rotary Clubs that organise the event nominated their own charities to benefit from the funds raised.

This year, the clubs decided to reduce the number of their nominated charities to two, aiming to provide each with at least a five-figure sum, and open up the opportunity for other local charities to benefit too.

The cycle ride takes place on Sunday, May 18, and around 1,500 cyclists are expected to take part.

Full details of the Cycle Ride and how to enter can be obtained from the website www.saccr.co.uk or by phoning the Rotary Club on 01727 852260.

In addition, a lot of extra information about the ride and its history can be obtained via Facebook or Twitter.