THE Rotary Club of Furness are delighted to see the return of their biggest fundraiser event next month after multiple cancelled events due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Tour de Furness is set to be held on September 5 with the 50-mile route touted as the toughest route to date, the ‘Lakeland Bluebird 50’.

Geoff James, one of the organisers of the event, said: “We already have more than 130 riders signed up so far, which is more than normal at this point, and we hope that is going to increase dramatically.

“It is a challenging new route which avoids the A590 as the old route used it to get from Ulverston to Greenodd.

“This year it will go up the west side of Coniston and then back down the east side.

“It is probably the most scenic route we have ever done.”

Geoff added that the route was not for the novice rider and recommended training for this particular challenge, which has lots of ups and downs across 50 miles. However, there are five-mile, 11-mile, and 23-mile routes for the less experienced riders who still want to raise a sum for St Mary’s Hospice and their favourite charities.

There will also be bacon and sausage buns and hot and cold drinks on offer for participants as the Rotary have been given the all clear to host a barbecue at Roose Cons.

“We had the virtual ride last year and that raised £6,000 which was not too bad but were are delighted to be back to normal this year for what we are calling our 25th event,” said Geoff.

“Over the 25 years this has been going we have raised more than £430,000 for local causes.

“It makes it so worthwhile that we are helping in the community in every way we can.

“This event epitomises what the Rotary Club is all about and we do numerous other events to raise money and are always on the lookout for new members.

“Charities have had a bad time through Covid due to a lack of fundraisers, so now is the time to raise money for your favourite charity and get active at the same time.”

To take part or volunteer to help, visit rotary-site.org/tour-de-furness