X-Tri Australia will be donating $5 from each entry to The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation Australia.

The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation is a registered international charity founded by Leonard Cheshire and Sue Ryder. The primary purpose of the Foundation is to relieve suffering among sick, handicapped and destitute people without regard to age, race or religion. The Foundation undertakes projects and establishes homes where there is a clear need. There are now nearly 400 homes in more than 50 countries.

Group Captain Lord Cheshire of Woodhall, VC, OM, DSO, DFC, was a legendary World War II bomber pilot. After the war, Leonard heard that a man he knew was dying of cancer, so he took him into his own home and nursed him until his death. Others soon followed, so leading to the creation of the Cheshire Homes for the Disabled. Sadly he died of motor neurone disease in July 1992.

Baroness Ryder of Warsaw, CMG, OBE, was a member of the Polish section of the highly secret Special Operation Executive during World War II. This experience launched her, immediately after the war, into relief work among the millions of sick, destitute and homeless people throughout Europe. She created the Sue Ryder Foundation for the sick and handicapped throughout the world. She died in November 2000.

Leonard and Sue were married in 1959, so joining together two highly committed and humanitarian people and leading to the creation of the Ryder-Cheshire Foundation.

The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation in Australia supports two overseas projects – Raphael in Northern India, the first joint project established by Leonard and Sue, and Klibur Domin in East Timor. The Foundation also has three facilities in Australia: in Singleton, New South Wales, at Ivanhoe in Victoria and in Mount Gambier, South Australia.

Click here to learn more about the work of Ryder-Cheshire.