Franchisee of Newbury McDonald's raises more than £3,000 for charity

Ross Drake cycled 275 miles for Ronald McDonald House Charities

THE franchisee of a Newbury McDonald’s has raised more than £3,000 on a charity cycle ride – stopping at 20 other restaurants en route.

Ross Drake cycled from the Northbrook Street restaurant to Eastbourne to raise money for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) UK across the hottest days of the year last month.

Mr Drake covered 275 miles and raised £3,351 – a vital donation for the charity at a time when fundraising events are at an all-time low because of restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

During his three-day tour Mr Drake stopped at 20 McDonald’s restaurants, which offered encouragement and donations.

Some of the franchisees joined Mr Drake and kept him company for parts of the cycle, including Paul Shaw in Dartford and Gian Chahal in Strood.

Mr Drake said he decided to embark on the ride at the start of August when he became aware of how many RMHC UK fundraising events have been cancelled throughout the year.

He said: “I decided I wanted to take matters into my own hands and organise my own fundraising event to support a charity that does such brilliant work for families across the UK.

“I had the bonus of catching up with so many of my fellow franchisees along the way – many of whom I hadn’t seen for months.

“I want to thank each of them and their teams for their kind support, keeping my spirits lifted with a much-needed morale boost at each restaurant stop.

“I hope that my efforts will inspire others to do what they can to raise some money for charity during such a difficult time.

“They need it now more than ever.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK was founded 30 years ago and has supported nearly 50,000 families.

The charity provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for families to keep them close to their children in hospital.

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