Trail Break has launched its Winter Off Road season which will be running monthly though to March and features a major pre-Christmas fundraising ride for Save the Children.

The season will feature Trail Break’s familiar dual event weekend format, with a marked-out Southern Trail Ride on the Saturday, followed by a Navigator Race (MTB Orienteering) from the same location on the Sunday.

The first winter round of events is on 8/9 November at Princes Risborough in the heart of the Chilterns. This will be followed by a Trail Ride/Navigator double at Queen Elizabeth Country Park on the South Downs, where the Trail Ride will include The Big Santa ride in aid of Save the Children.

The concept is simple – a fancy dress ride to get as many Santas and Christmassy characters on the trail as possible. Get yourself a Santa suit to ride in (or just a hat or any Christmas themed fancy dress), download a sponsorship form and raise as much as you can for your festive efforts!

Phil from Trail Break says, “We really wanted to do something a bit special for the Christmas ride, and something to help kids is a natural choice at this time of year. Save the Children run an excellent Wish List scheme to give essential gifts for poor children around the world. When we saw that they need donations to buy bikes for these kids, it just seemed perfect. There’s enough gloom going on in the world at the moment, so we think this is a great opportunity to enjoy a fantastic ride, have good laugh in the process and help make a difference that you can feel a little bit good about too.”

Giving a child a bike is no frivolous gift. We all know what good things bikes are, but for some the benefits can be life changing. Save the Children say, “Education is the key to a better future for the poorest children. If your nearest school is two hours’ walk away though, its hard and tiring just getting there and back everyday. Just £39 means Save the Children can give a child a bike, so they can cover the ground in no time. Parents are more likely to send their children to school if they can get home quicker. It’s less tiring, they’ll have more time to play, do their homework and help out at home.”

The ride itself is one of the regular Southern Trail Ride series, which run throughout the year. That means a choice of routes and distances to suit all riders, fully waymarked routes which are easy to follow, a detailed route map to keep you on track, (as well as GPS route downloads for pre entries), free SIS energy drink at the start and out on the course, a great range of hot food and drinks available at the event base and the friendly, professional organisation they have become known for over ten years.

In addition to the regular features, the day will also feature a Red Planet Winter Warmer soup kitchen on the trail (proceeds to the charity), prizes for best outfits, an online charity auction of bike related goodies, fund raising event photography and more. So whether you want to dress up or not, there will be plenty going at this great day out.

For details and online entry for this and the rest of the Trail Break winter season, visit www.trailbreak.co.uk or call 0118 976 2491.Find out more about Save the Children at www.savethechildren.org.uk.