Second cycling sportive to raise funds for local hall

SANDWICK is set to host its second cycling sportive event next month to raise funds for the local Carnegie Hall.

Entrants will be able to take part in three different routes on 12 August – 50 miles, 25 miles and four miles.

The longest routes in the Carnegie Sportive will head out to Spiggie Loch and back, while the four-mile circuit is contained within Sandwick and is designed for children and their parents.

Entry for the 50 and 25-mile routes is £16.50, while it is priced at £5 for the shorter circuit.

The event is approved by British Cycling and sponsored by Specsavers Lerwick, with the opticians providing medals, water bottles and hi-vis jackets for children.

Soup and sweets will be provided for entrants at the Carnegie Hall after the event.

Last year 35 people took part in the event, raising around £600, and organiser Steven Jamieson said it will be opened up to all ages and abilities this year thanks to the addition of the family-friendly circuit.

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“It’s basically a cycle from the Carnegie Hall out to Noness and then back to the Carnegie Hall again,” he said.

“We’re hoping that might attract some families to come on the cycle.”

The popular hall, meanwhile, is currently undergoing renovation on its roof after enough money was raised for it to go ahead with the much-needed refurbishment.

The venue was on the brink of closure in 2013 before a group of volunteers steered it towards safety thanks to fundraising events.

The hall also received funding from LEADER, the Robertson Trust and the National Lottery.

Jamieson said that funds raised from this year’s sportive will be put towards floor work, as well as general repairs.