Staff from the Bristol office of international property and construction consultancy Gleeds battled it out against their counterparts from Cardiff to raise money for two local charities by cycling 50 miles against the clock.
They were among 1,500 staff from Gleeds’ 56 international offices who volunteered one working day to participate in local fundraising events in an attempt to raise £130,000 for charity in one week – £100 for every year the firm has been in business.
The Bristol and Cardiff offices raised more than £8,000 to be split equally between Bristol’s St Peter’s Hospice and Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital in Cardiff.
The riders set out from Gleeds’ Cardiff office before crossing the Severn Bridge, then tackling a few of Bristol’s grueling hills before reaching the finish line at the firm’s Bristol Parkway North base.
Their target was to complete the race in under four hours, which was smashed by Gleeds accountant Greg Hughes, who crossed the finish line in 2hrs 3mins. He was followed by Gleeds’ South West regional director Terry Langdon, who peddled-in an hour later.
Mr Langdon said: “Though a few of us feel a bit worse for wear, I’m extremely proud of the fundraising efforts of both offices. We’ve had incredible support from family and friends within the industry – as a result we’ve beaten our fundraising target by £2,000. It makes the achy legs all worthwhile!”
St Peter’s Hospice corporate fundraiser Edd Smith added: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the team at Gleeds for supporting us during their marathon cycle ride. It was a great effort by all and we’re very grateful for the funds raised.”
St Peter’s is Bristol’s only adult hospice and cares for more than 2,670 patients each year as well as supporting family members.
All its services are provided free of charge, but this care costs around £18,000 a day. For around £14,000 of that, the hospice relies on the generosity of individuals and businesses like Gleeds.
The charity bike-off was part of a series of events taking place under the banner of Gleeds’ Global Challenge. So far, the business has raised in excess of £98,000 with fundraising tallies still flooding in from Gleeds’ international offices.
Mr Langdon added: “We’re hopeful that once all of the money is in, we’ll have smashed our £130,000 target. Here in the South West, we’ve found that not only has the Global Challenge inspired people to push themselves out of their comfort zone, it’s also brought people together. Working towards a common goal for the benefit of those who are less fortunate, has been really humbling and motivated us all to want to beat our local fundraising target.”
For more information about Gleeds’ Global Challenge visit justgiving.com/gleeds
Pictured: The Gleeds’ team sets out from its Cardiff office
