A Worcester parishioner and school governor who set himself a big cycling challenge has announced he’s smashed his fundraising target.

Frank Tota, of St George’s parish, has handed over a £10,000 cheque to complete the St David’s Medical Centre in Nyandoro, Zimbabwe.

In May the retired RE teacher of Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, and now a governor there, cycled over 900 miles from Worcester to join the Diocesan Pilgrimage in Lourdes.

All to raise the final £10,000 needed for the Medical Centre, for which the parish and school have fundraised for several years.

On Monday (6 July) Frank handed over the cheque to Agnes Teferi, a representative of the Medical Centre, who is flying out to Zimbabwe in August to oversee the centre’s completion.

The project has also now achieved charitable status.

During the handover those present gave thanks to God for all the people who have supported this project. Singing praises to God for his grace and favour to make this project successful. 

Frank explained the last donation came from John Harwood, a parishioner from Our Lady, Queen of Peace, in Worcester. John writes monthly quizzes for parishioners of Catholic Worcester, in order to raise funds for the charity Reaching the Unreached.

In May, his quiz was supporting the St David's Medical Centre in Zimbabwe. 

“I wish to thank everyone who supported my fundraising cycle to Lourdes,” said Frank. “When Fr Pat, at St George’s, asked about my pilgrimage, I said that I was privileged to be able to undertake it for such a worthy cause and that I felt the protection of God throughout my ride. 

“I am thrilled the target has been reached and the medical centre can now be completed and opened.”

Fundraising for the project has been led by Sonya Thomas, deputy headteacher at Blessed Edward Oldcorne, since 2014 after a student with family in Nyandoro talked about the lack of medical provision in the region. But the project was halted for several years when Covid struck and has been hit by political turmoil and hyperinflation.

Read Frank’s cycling blog posts