28th May 2012

The HERIB Beech Holme Tandem Club is celebrating after receiving a £250 donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund.

The Beech Holme Tandem Club was set up in 1952 in order to allow blind and partially sighted people to enjoy the pleasures of cycling. In the last year, it has become an official part of HERIB which now supports and promotes the group locally.

Tandem cycling requires a fully sighted front rider to lead visually impaired back riders and a support vehicle must accompany all trips. The club currently has sixteen tandems and meets every Wednesday, providing social and health benefits to its members.

Angela Gregory, Marketing Manager at HERIB, says: “We are delighted to receive an award from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund. The Beech Holme Tandem Club is run entirely by volunteers and receives no government funding, so the money will be a big help.

“With this donation from the MARS Refuel Drink Fund we can maintain our support vehicle, without which we couldn’t keep going. This will be a great boost to Beech Holme Tandem Club as it means we can keep enabling the visually impaired to cycle and play longer.”

A recent survey conducted by chocolate milk drink, MARS Refuel, revealed that the main barriers preventing people from taking part in sport are a lack of motivation and cost.

But with the incredible summer of sport that lies ahead, there should be plenty to motivate people to get active.

The MARS Refuel Drink Fund was set up to help individuals and clubs play their chosen sport for longer. Applicants for support such as equipment, coaching, pitch time and travel expenses can be made online at www.marsrefuel.com.

The MARS Refuel Drink Fund, which runs until September 30 2012, has one Gold (£1000), four Silver (£500) and eight Bronze (£250) awards to donate each month.

The fund is open to residents of, and clubs and organisations based in the UK and Republic of Ireland only. Applicants must be 13 years or over and only one application will be accepted per person, club or organisation.

MARS Refuel is a great source of protein, carbohydrate, calcium and vitamin B.  It’s the milk goodness in Mars Refuel that provides the optimum 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein that helps people to go 50% longer*.



MARS® is a registered trademark of Mars 2011.

* Research by Northumbria University, February 2007.  Results based on equivalent drinks volumes