Takes part in race in support of The Royal British Legion’s Annual Poppy Appeal

Ruth Cadbury has claimed the yellow jersey in a cycle race in which she competed with the Speaker of the House of Commons, the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, the Director General of The Royal British Legion, and over 90 Members of Parliament as well as serving members of The Armed Forces on an exercise bike to raise money for The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.

The 12 hour ride on exercise bikes on 1 November was held from 8am to 8pm in Portcullis House, Parliament and aimed to raise money for the Legion’s national Poppy Appeal. Ruth Cadbury MP represented her constituency of Brentford and Isleworth by cycling as far as she could in 5 minutes, with the hope of topping the leaderboard and beating her colleagues. Ruth managed to cycle 3.29 in 5 minutes, making her the fastest woman to compete.

After her triumph she said, “I would like to thank the Industry and Parliament Trust and The Royal British Legion for arranging this event. The Royal British Legion provides invaluable support to The Armed Forces community; I am pleased to have been able to support such a worthy cause.”

The bike ride was organised by the Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) and The Royal British Legion following on from the successful event held in 2016 (in which 77 MPs and Peers cycled a total of 128.8 miles in 12 hours). This year’s race emphasised that The Royal British Legion will once again be asking the nation to ‘Rethink Remembrance’ and consider the meaning of the poppy as a symbol of Remembrance and hope.

MPs were encouraged to donate as they take part, with all of the money raised on the day going to help The Royal British Legion provide lifelong support for the Armed Forces community. The Central Parliament Poppy Appeal is the only charity that can fundraise in Parliament.

Nick Maher CEO of the IPT said, “The work of The Royal British Legion is essential to the lives of the whole Armed Forces community across the UK and I am delighted that MPs and Peers are supporting us in our efforts to raise money for such a worthwhile cause. The support and enthusiasm from parliamentarians and service men and women has been fantastic’


November 9, 2017