THE FINAL total of money raised for good causes by last year’s Liphook Bike Ride has now been confirmed.

Organisers have confirmed that June’s ride raised more than £20,000.

The money was raised from a combination of riders’ entry fees, commercial sponsorship, charities sponsorship and individual collections.

The 2016 ride was the first one organised by the Liphook Crankers after they took over the reins from the Liphook and District Businessmen’s Association (LiDBA), who ran it for 25 years.

The Crankers remain very closely engaged with the LiDBA team, who will continue to maintain their close links with Liphook charities.

Planning has now started for the next ride scheduled for Sunday, June 11.

Once again organisers will be writing to local businesses to request their sponsorship support.

The 2017 ride will be similar in format to last year but the Crankers intend to hold another briefing session for charities to assist them with their online bookings.

Ride chairman Alistair Halliday said: “We were delighted with the way that the 2016 ride went and are very pleased with the funds raised.

“We have conducted our own post ride review process to ensure we can fine tune the event and make it even better.

“We were hugely grateful for the support from many of our charities and also from the companies in Liphook as well as East Hampshire District Council, who provided us with the sponsorship funding and without whom the ride could not have taken place.”

Bohunt School provided the facilities last year while Owens Cycles provided repair service and prizes.

Liphook Guides managed the water stops and Petersfield Air Cadets managed the car parking.