​Interview and photo opportunities with Laura Wright and Danny Crates before stage one of the Women’s Tour

MEDIA INVITE FOR WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 2015

Event

• Sporting soprano Laura Wright and Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates will be cycling the first stage of the Aviva Women’s Tour in Suffolk in aid of young people from the county

Date

• From 7:15am on Wednesday 17 June 2015.

Location

• Angel Hotel, 3 Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1LT.

What

On Wednesday 17 June, sporting soprano Laura Wright, Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates and a group of fundraisers will achieve something that is beyond the wildest dreams of even the most committed cyclists. They will cross the finish line of the Aviva Women’s Tour ahead of the world’s top riders.

The Tour will see many of the biggest names in women’s pro cycling hitting the roads of Suffolk in a bid to follow two-time Olympic champion Marianne Vos by becoming the winner of this year’s five stage event. Stage one follows a 68-mile route from Bury St Edmunds to Aldeburgh and at around 1pm that day Laura and her team will be the very first people to complete it.

They have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity through Laura’s connection to the charity SportsAid, for which she is an ambassador. Every mile they cover will raise money for young people in Suffolk who have the talent and ambition to one day compete at events like the Women’s Tour, or even the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but due to a lack of funding and recognition are at a risk of dropping out of their sport and not fulfilling their potential.

Just three days later Laura will also complete the second part of a tough physical challenge by undertaking an open water swim as part of the Great East Swim at Alton Water Reservoir near Ipswich.

TIMES

Media interviews

• 7:15am at the Angel Hotel

Photo opportunities

• 7:40am on Angel Hill, under the Women’s Tour start gantry

Interview opportunities

• Laura Wright, soprano singer and SportsAid ambassador
• Danny Crates, Paralympic gold medallist and SportsAid ambassador
• Tim Lawler, chief executive, SportsAid

RSVP

• Contact Simon Worsfold on 020 7273 1978, simon@sportsaid.org.uk or Adam Baker, 01473 260821, 07894 598296, adam.baker@suffolk.gov.uk.

PRESS RELEASE

Sporting soprano Laura Wright and Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates embark on an epic challenge in aid of young people in Suffolk

On Wednesday 17 June a group of cyclists which includes ‘sporting soprano’ Laura Wright and Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates will achieve something that is beyond the wildest dreams of even the most committed cyclists.

They will cross the finish line of the Aviva Women’s Tour ahead of the world’s top riders.

The Tour will see many of the biggest names in women’s pro cycling hitting the roads of Suffolk in a bid to follow two-time Olympic champion Marianne Vos by becoming the winner of this year’s five stage event. Stage one covers a 68-mile route from Bury St Edmunds to Aldeburgh and at around 1pm that day Laura and her team will be the very first people to complete it.

They have been given this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity through Laura’s connection to the charity SportsAid, for which she is an ambassador. Every mile they cover will raise money for young people in Suffolk who have the talent and ambition to one day compete at events like the Women’s Tour, or even the Olympic or Paralympic Games, but due to a lack of funding and recognition are at a risk of dropping out of their sport and not fulfilling their potential.

Not content with taking on the gruelling cycle ride in aid of aspiring sportsmen and women from Suffolk Laura Wright, from Framlingham, will go the extra mile by taking part in the Great East Swim at Alton Water near Ipswich just three days later.

The soprano, who is a familiar face at worldwide sporting events having performed at international rugby matches, the FA Cup Final and opening of the Invictus Games for Prince Harry, was announced as a national ambassador for SportsAid earlier this year. The charity’s patron is Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

Laura, who will be riding a Vitus bike provided by Chain Reaction Cycles, said “I’m very excited to be riding stage one of this year’s Aviva Women’s Tour in aid of SportsAid. It will be a big challenge but I’m fully motivated because it will be raising money for such a good cause.

“SportsAid is a charity that does a really good job helping Britain’s brightest hopes, who are otherwise completely un-funded, become our future Olympic and Paralympic heroes.

“One of the persistent myths out there is that talented athletes are somehow already funded. In reality the financial pressures they are under are huge, so every penny that we can raise to help really can make a world of difference.”

Tim Lawler, chief executive of SportsAid, who will be in the group cycling with Laura, added “Laura is a wonderful example of what can be achieved through talent, hard work and dedication. As one of the biggest selling classical artists in the UK this decade and a keen sportswoman herself, she is a wonderful role model for the young athletes we support. Her efforts will not only help us support more Suffolk athletes but will also raise our profile nationally as a charity.”

Laura is calling on the Suffolk community to get behind young people in the county by sponsoring her to complete the two challenges, saying, “Every penny we raise will help talented young athletes from Suffolk meet some of the estimated £6,000 a year it costs to keep training and competing. Please sponsor me at virginmoneygiving.com/team/LauraWright. Together we can make a real difference.”