Redesigned for 2023-2024, our popular sportive jersey in support of CHAS is back. A limited quantity of jerseys will be available for sale on the day.
For the story behind its original design and inception in the 2022 event, read on...
Sportive Kinross celebrates over a decade of support for Rachel House
Kinross High School and local family join forces to design commemorative jersey for annual cycling fundraiser, which has so far raised over £100,000 for CHAS following our 2023 event
Pictured L-R are Marion and Isla Riddell, Lyndsay Stobie (CHAS), Jeff Wall and Jane Timperley of Kinross Cycling Club, Rory Maddocks and Stuart McDonald, Kinross HS
A family who receive support from Rachel House have teamed up with Sportive Kinross and Kinross High School to design a special cycling jersey to mark a decade of the event’s dedicated fundraising for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland – better known as CHAS. Sportive Kinross, which takes place on Saturday, 27th April [2024], is one of Scotland’s most popular cycling events and is run by volunteers from Kinross Cycling Club. Since its inception in 2011, the club has raised over £100,000 in donations for the charity.
A jersey was commissioned to celebrate the relationship between the event, CHAS and Marion and Iain Riddell (of Muckhart), who are able to participate in the Sportive with the assurance that their daughter Isla (who deals with complications from Cerebral Palsy) is in safe hands at the hospice.
Activities staff at Rachel House facilitated a home craft session with Isla and Marion to produce a logo, which was then given to the Craft, Design & Technology department of Kinross High School who completed the overall jersey design. Design student Rory Maddocks, a keen cyclist himself, stepped forward for the challenge, incorporating graphics created by the Riddells.
Marion Riddell said: “Having the club and Rachel House in our lives can help make the day to day that bit easier. We’ve been coming to Rachel House since Isla was 4 years old, when she became more unwell. They’ve been very supportive over the years and we’ve had some lovely stays there. “We also have CHAS at Home and a very supportive key worker who is always at the other end of the phone for a chat. It’s a lovely place to come to – a place where Isla can have fun in a great environment and a place where we can come as a family. We’ve got some lovely memories of special times there. We also get to meet families who are in a similar situation and find out how they cope with things. “As a member of Kinross Club, I heard about the Sportive and was able to volunteer last year, while Iain has taken part in the last few years. I’m hoping to get on the bike for it this year, so I’m really looking forward to that. Meanwhile Isla can come to Rachel House, where we know she will be well looked after.”
Donna Nicoll of Rachel House, Isla and Marion Riddell
Lyndsay Stobie, Community Fundraiser at CHAS, said: “We owe Sportive Kinross a debt of gratitude for everything they’ve done and continue to do to raise money for CHAS. This jersey is a lovely symbol of our ten year association and a gesture that means all the more with Isla, Marion and Kinross High School’s involvement. “The Sportive itself is always a lively occasion for our volunteers to get involved in, helping out with registration, manning the feeding stations and cheering the cyclists over the finish line. “Many cyclists choose to sponsor CHAS but the charity also receives £6 from every entry fee. As an in-demand event, registration often fills up quickly so would recommend riders sign up soon. “All the proceeds go towards the sustainability of care that CHAS gives to so many babies, children, young people and their families, whether it’s dedicated nurse care, a week of respite, a simple meal or a hydrotherapy session.”
Stuart McDonald, Design Technology Teacher at Kinross High School said: “The Craft, Design and Technology department at Kinross High were delighted to be involved in this collaborative project to design the Sportive Kinross 2022 event jersey. Rory Maddocks took up the challenge and is an active member of Kinross Cycling Club, participating and representing the club at various cycling events and competitions. “Rory demonstrated great enthusiasm and commitment during several lunchtimes to produce a range of design concepts which met the brief and showcased the great artwork produced by the talented Isla. Both Rory and the department are delighted to see the finished jersey which was a highly rewarding collaborative experience.” In Scotland, more nearly 16,000 children and young people live with life-shortening conditions and CHAS is determined to reach every family who needs it. CHAS works across Scotland, able to provide its hospice services nationwide for babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions. CHAS offers palliative, respite and end-of-life care from Rachel House in Kinross and Robin House in Balloch. CHAS at Home supports families with the services of a hospice yet in their own homes across the whole of Scotland and through its Diana Children’s Nurses working in hospitals across the country, CHAS supports families and clinical teams.
To get involved in CHAS as a volunteer, whether you’d like to help run one of our kitchens, gardens or represent the charity as an ambassador in your community, the full range of current opportunities can be found online at chas.org.uk here.
For further information please contact: Dave Kerr, Communications Lead at Rachel House, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 07484 901062.
About CHAS:
Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is on a mission to reach every family in Scotland that needs its care, providing hospice services nation-wide to babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions.
CHAS offers palliative, respite and end-of-life care from Rachel House in Kinross, Robin House in Balloch and through CHAS at Home.
Through its Diana Children’s Nurses working in hospitals across the country we support families and clinical teams.
We make sure that no matter how short family’s time together may be, it is filled with happiness and vitality. We keep the joy alive by helping families to celebrate the lives of their children while they are together, and to honour their memory when they are gone.
