Make a Donation
And help us make a difference.
We need your support to be able to continue enhancing the lives of people in communities wherever Rugby League is played.
Multi award-winning bespoke architectural practice Studio SDA Architects are the latest prestigious company to pledge their support for Rugby League Cares by becoming an associate sponsor of the 2019 UK Red Ride to Wembley.
The Chorley-based practice will be represented on the independent charity’s biggest fundraiser of the year by Managing Director Simon Lewis-Pierpoint, a former Wigan and Bradford Bulls player.
Simon will join other members of the playing community, including his former Wigan club-mate Denis Betts and ex-Bradford team-mate Robbie Hunter-Paul, on the ride, an epic 340-mile off-road cycling challenge from Huddersfield to Wembley Stadium.
Simon, who also rode the 2018 Ride to Wembley, said: “Studio SDA Architects are delighted to have the opportunity to sponsor the Ride to Wembley and to strengthen our links with a charity that has such a positive influence in so many areas of the sport.
“RL Cares does a sterling job in tackling poor mental health and breaking down the stigma around it, and that’s important for me: I have experienced at first hand the trauma of a family member with mental health problems taking their own life because help wasn’t around at the time.
“The culture RL Cares is helping create in the sport, both for players and spectators, means things are changing for the better in Rugby League and that’s the main reason Studio SDA Architects are involved in the ride.
“I also know how difficult and challenging it can be for players when they have to make a career change and the work RL Cares does in helping players transition out of the sport and start a new chapter in their lives is just brilliant.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge again! Last year was a gruelling test, both emotionally and physically, and this year’s ride is longer and hillier!
“To spend a week in the company of the other riders was an experience I’ll never forget. I can’t wait!”
The 2019 UK Red Ride to Wembley leaves the George Hotel, Huddersfield – the historic birthplace of Rugby League – on the morning of Monday August 19 and arrives at the RL Legends statue at Wembley Stadium on the afternoon of Friday August 23, the eve of the 2019 Coral Challenge Cup final.
In between, the 23 riders will cycle 340 miles along rough tracks, canal towpaths, bridleways, country lanes and forest trails on a hilly route that features 18,000ft of climbing, the equivalent of riding from sea level to Everest basecamp.
Simon played his junior rugby at Ovenden and signed as a professional with Wigan despite receiving an offer of £75,000 – a then world record for a junior – from his home-town club Halifax. He later moved to Braford Bulls before switching to rugby union with Worcester at the same time that Henry Paul left Odsal for Gloucester.
A decade ago, Simon and his wife Katie founded Studio SDA Architects, a luxury boutique architectural practice that prides itself on creating beautiful bespoke buildings for clients. The company have been Northern Design Award winners in 2016, 2017 and 2018, an unprecedented achievement in the industry.
For more information on Studio SDA Architects please visit studiosda.co.uk
To help RL Cares continue its important work making a positive difference to the lives of people involved at every level of Rugby League, please sponsor Simon Lewis-Pierpoint by making a donation to his Justgiving page
