In April 2023, Paul Walton decided to take on a challenge – a 600km bike ride, stopping at 17 Lifestyle Communities across Victoria in just seven days, all to raise funds for children and young people at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).  

Thanks to the support of Lifestyle Communities, an over 50s lifestyle living community in Victoria, Paul’s fundraiser was a resounding success, raising over $70,000 for the hospital.  

“My wife and I moved to Lifestyle Deanside in 2021. After we had moved in, we learnt that the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Lifestyle Communities, James, is very focused on giving back and founded the Lifestyle Communities Foundation, where they will match, dollar for dollar, any donations that support cancer-based charities that are raised by their residents. So, when I initially thought about doing a bike ride to raise funds, I thought why not tap into the Foundation,” said Paul.  

The result? Paul’s aptly named Tour de Lifestyle.  

“I’ve always had a soft spot for the RCH. As an adult I’ve had a pretty fortunate life, and my children have been pretty healthy and well but through my ambulance days, I’ve been to the RCH and have seen the work they do so I thought, why not try and give these children a life like I’ve been fortunate enough to have,” said Paul. 

“The total raised was beyond what I initially thought – my initial goal was $10,000 – but Lifestyle Communities really got around it, as well as my colleagues and friends, so it ended up being a really pleasing result,” he added.  

In April 2024, he decided to ride again, this time stopping by 20 Lifestyle Communities. He raised $81,593, matched dollar for dollar by Lifestyle Communities, bringing the total funds raised to $163,186 for the hospital.

“Every minute on the bike and every kilometre rode was worth it when it was announced that the Tour de Lifestyle had raised over $150,000. It’s just a great feeling to think that the ride could raise a remarkable amount of money for the RCH and the kids. A big thank you to Lifestyle Communities and my support team, as the ride and the results would not have been possible without their fantastic support.” said Paul. 

When asked if Paul would once again don the lycra next year, his response was clear:  

“Yes, we will do it again in 2025 with a target of $250,000.”