GREAT Dunmow Round Table is well on track to raise £30,000 from its cycling feats following publicity in the Dunmow Broadcast. Since the article in the Broadcast on July 19, members of the Round Table have been inundated with calls from people wanting to

GREAT Dunmow Round Table is well on track to raise £30,000 from its cycling feats following publicity in the Dunmow Broadcast.

Since the article in the Broadcast on July 19, members of the Round Table have been inundated with calls from people wanting to take part in the Norwich to Dunmow bike ride.

This fund-raiser was organised on the back of a challenge to get into the Guinness Book of Records with 100 people on one bike cycling the length of the runway, that's 1400m, at the Duxford Imperial War Museum on September 22.

Two weeks later part of the bike, seating 40, will travel 103 miles from Norwich, where the Round Table originated from in 1932, to Dunmow.

Great Dunmow Round Table chairman Shaun Pledger said: "Last Monday I took 50 calls from volunteer cyclists. It's much bigger than we ever dreamt. It has overwhelmed us.

"It's grown out of all proportion. This has definitely all happened since the Broadcast's article.

"A Sun reporter lives locally and saw the article and then wrote a story for the national newspaper and we were featured on Anglia TV, the BBC and ITV. It's amazing one article in a local newspaper can do so much."

He said following all the publicity the ride is on course to raise £30,000 and even likely to top the £50,000 mark.

A total of 70 people have already said they would like to take part but now the Round Table is urging teams of 10 to come forward.

Mr Pledger said: "Everyone in life gets a window of opportunity to do something different in life and this is one of those moments. We really need to fire this up and get teams of 10."

Publicity officer Dave Frater said a couple of members of the Round Table had visited the Round Table in Norwich and they agreed to find 150 cyclists to start off the race

He said: "We have got to find 250 riders. If we can get 20-25 teams of 10 plus 100 riders at Duxford that's £35,000 we will have raised for charity before we start looking for corporate sponsorship."

Each rider will be expected to raise £100 and will have to cycle for about three hours. It will take two 12-hour days to complete the route and if the bike does an average of 4mph it will return back in Dunmow at 7pm on October 7.

"It's quite a feat, but it will be fantastic fun," said Mr Frater. "Not only will it be raising the profile of Dunmow Round Table but it will also be raising money for some great causes."

For more information call Mr Pledger on 01371 878600, Richard Johnson on 01371 873600 or e-mail spencercontracts@aol.com.

- THE 40-seater section of the bike, which is being built to last at least 10 years, will feature in the parade at Dunmow Carnival and be used for the London to Brighton and the London to Cambridge bike rides.

Afterwards it will be offered out to charities for fund-raising events in the hope of raising a total of £1 million.