Hello there everyone, hope this update finds you in fine fettle. Sorry to barge into your inbox but there’s loads of important stuff to tell you for this year’s Nelson’s Tour de Test Valley – especially as it’s our 10 year anniversary. A special day all round, and now just over three months away till we roll again on Saturday 17th September.
This event was set up in 2013 to honour the life of a wonderful human Nelson Pratt, who took his life the year before. Your passionate support, stories, smiles, heart, legs, grit and dogged fund-raising have made this event what it is. Creating a powerful legacy in the process and raising over half a million pounds to support CALM’s amazing work in reducing suicide. We really hope you’ll come and see us this year, share a drink with us, and toast your hugely valued support and of course your legs!
ENTER ONLINE NOW BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!
Sorry to bang this drum but if you haven’t entered online yet, please get your digits dancing across the keyboard pronto. We are nearly three quarters full of the 800 online places, so time to get yours in now. By entering online it helps us so much with organising food, logistics etc, and we will only have a limited number of entries on the day.
VANS FAMILY RIDE ‘Ride on Rascals’
We are really chuffed to be running this family ride again after last year’s successful trial. It’s a super friendly, quiet and mellow 7 miles, with a lovely pit stop in a village hall at half way, where there’ll be drinks, Edie’s legendary brownies, and other goodies. Each child will get a free ice cream at the end (a Rascal Ripple!) and the adults get a beer or soft drink, other stickers and goodies from VANS will also be given out to keep those little legs going!
Also back by popular demand is the pump track that we had on site last year, it proved so popular with the kids, and plenty of keen mums and dads had a razz round too on a variety of craft.
We have now set up an online entry link so please enter now, there will also be entry on the day at HQ. Again it helps us so much to know numbers for food and safety.
EXTRA SPECIAL 10 YEAR JERSEY!
The jersey we design every year and produce with our superb local supplier Halo Sports is always such a highlight of the event, and helps us raise such valuable funds for CALM – with all profits going to the charity.
This year we wanted to do something extra special to honour the 10 years, so we are designing a stylish, classic, merino jersey and hoodie to take pride of place in your wardrobe, and hopefully something you may even wear down the pub when sinking your favourite tipple!
The new design will be released in the next few weeks so keep your eyes peeled, you’ll be able to order online directly from Halo Sports and sent to you direct so you’ll have it in your mitts in time for the big day.
FUNDRAISE AND GET EXCLUSIVE VANS PRODUCTS
As you know this event is raising money for CALM, so they can continue to tackle suicide head on, 125 lives are lost every week to suicide and 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exists to change this but right now their helpline is the busiest it’s ever been, in 2021 CALM answered 157, 000 calls and web chats.
We know how tight money is for everyone right now and that raising money is really tough. To help give a little boost VANS have come up with some amazing incentives, including custom skate decks and other exclusive products for anyone raising over £1000, £500 and £100.
More details of the products will be released very soon but some super cool stuff is up for grabs.
It costs £8 to fund a potentially life-saving call so please, if you can afford it, set up an official Just Giving page with this link. One call can save someone’s life. So no bull your donation could really make a difference
PLEASE CELEBRATE WITH US!
As we’ve prattled on plently about this is our 10 year anniversary, we’d love it if you’d stay around with us at the end of the day so we can thank you properly, raise a toast to Nelson and the people that have made this event possible. Before the start of the iconic(!) raffle at approx 5pm we hope you’ll join us, the bar will be open with good vibes and cold ale flowing!
CARRY ON CAMPING!
As always we offer free camping on the Friday night, with the site opening from 1600. As per the last few years there will be separate areas for campervans and tents, plus showers and toilets. For anyone that wants to be together we will have an overflow area with more room to make this easier. Brekky & coffee will be served as normal from 0700 hrs on Saturday.
THE END OF WAFFLE!
If you’ve made it here you’ve done exceedingly well, but hopefully a few good bits of info for you. As always, please keep an eye on the website for the latest news and follow our Instagram @tour_de_test_valley This year is really special for us so we hope to make it the best one yet, we really hope you’ll come and join us, and continue your support for CALM.
Happy riding for now,
Marcus, Chris & all the TDTV Team.
Ride on Nelly.