Hillcrest learners cycle for fur friends

NINETEEN learners from Hillcrest Primary School will gather at the start of the aQuellé Tour Durban MTB races, powered by CycleLab, outside Cornubia Mall on Saturday, November 27.

The project is a fundraiser started by the learners themselves to support the Sanctuary Project. The organisation carries out sterilisations on dogs and cats in the greater Upper Highway area, and has gathered momentum in the fledgling school MTB training group, run by experienced riders Amy-Jane Newcombe-Bond and Rose Owen.

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For the eager, young riders, the Covid-19 lockdowns robbed them of most of the events that they would have targeted, until the novice-friendly 20km aQuellé Tour Durban MTB ride was confirmed, with an age limit that paved the way for the primary school learners to enter.

“For most of them, it will be their first race,” said Owen. “Our training group ranges from Grade 3 to Grade 7 and there is a lot of excitement in the group for the aQuellé Tour Durban MTB ride, and a few nervous parents as well, I can tell you.”

One of the training group members is Nikita Wilson, who has been a committed fundraiser and volunteer for the Sanctuary Project, and quickly took to the idea of entering the 20km MTB as a group fundraising effort.

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Owen said the initial target was R1 500, but this was passed in the blink of an eye.

“We adjusted the target to R3 000 and we have already passed that in a week so, almost unbelievably, we have now set our total at R6 000. That will cover the costs of a lot of sterilisations in the valley, and, importantly, the process of education that goes along with each visit,” she said.

The ride will be the culmination of many months of training and fitness directed by the experienced MTB rider Newcombe-Bond. With the added weight of the fundraiser, it will be a landmark occasion for the primary school athletes.

“We will manage the ride in small, bite-sized chunks. To complete this ride will be such an achievement for these young men and women. Every cent that is raised will help the Sanctuary Project help more dogs and cats,” added Owen.

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