Riders take to the saddle for bikeathon challenge at Bilston Market

A total of 40 riders have taken on the Bilston Bikeathon, a five-hour static bike challenge in the outside area of Bilston Market, to raise funds for Green Park Special School in Bilston, a school for children with special education needs.

The riders were a mixture of members of the Rotary Club of Bilston and Wolverhampton West, local MPs and councillors and volunteers joining the challenge, all taking on 30-minute stints on the bikes.

Councillor Beverley Momenabadi was one of the riders and spoke about some of the people who had taken part in the event.

She said: “We’ve had the mayor of Wolverhampton Greg Brackenridge taking part and Pat McFadden MP, as well as Caroline Green MBE, who teamed up with the Rotary club to run this event.

“Lots of Rotarians, including the president Andy Baker, have also taken part and it’s been a great day, with the four donation buckets filling throughout the day.”

Councillor Momenabadi said there had been more than £600 in donations made online prior to the start of the event, all of which would go towards specialist equipment and extra-curriculum activities at the school.

She also said the riders had covered several hundred miles during the day and had been helped along by free oranges and water from the Moby shop in Bilston.

She said it had been great to get people together in a safe environment to give something back to the community.

She said: “It means the world to me to give something back to a school like Green Park, which not only caters for children with physical disabilities, but also neurodiverse children as well.

“It’s also great to do this at a time when people have been furloughed and pockets are a bit tight, but they are still happy to be able to give to a great local cause.

To find out more about the event and to make a donation, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/BilstonBikeathon