Bristol recruitment agency Kingston Barnes has raised more than £13,000 for The Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Christmas Childrens Appeal this year by organising three events.
The gruelling 11-hour cycle ride, epic 28-team five-a-side football tournament and fun-filled Christmas Quiz pulled in a total of £13,373 for the appeal, the firm’s chosen charity of the year. 
The Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Children Appeal started in 1920 and now raises £82,500 a year to support 1,650 of the most underprivileged children in the city, helping them enjoy a better Christmas.
Kingston Barnes, which specialises in supplying staff to the construction and property, manufacturing, technical engineering and logistics industries, got its fundraising underway in the summer with a charity cycle challenge on static exercise bikes at the firm’s HQ, pictured.
The team cycled 1km for each family supported by the charity, totalling 1,650km in a single day – a distance surpassing the combined length and breadth of the UK, and roughly equivalent to the distance from the UK to Spain.
The cycle ride raised a massive £1,718 toward the total, which was originally set at £10,000.
Next up was the epic seven-hour five-a-side football tournament, which took place at the Imperial Sports Ground in September – with each of the 28 teams paying £250 to enter.
With additional funds raised through a charity auction and raffle, the tournament netted over half of the target with an impressive £6,098.
Finally, Kingston Barnes’ less-strenuous but just as fun-filled Christmas quiz at Harbour House last month brought together more than 160 participants in 27 teams from across the sectors Kingston Barnes specialises in and raised £5,557.
Together, the three events brought in just over a third more than the firm’s original £10,000 pledge.
Kingston Barnes director James Kingston said: “We are absolutely thrilled to say that we have managed to raise an incredible £13,373 for The Lord Mayor of Bristol’s Childrens Appeal.
“This success is down to some incredible teamwork, collaboration, and creativity. The KB team, alongside our construction and property partnership, made it all possible.”
An Appeal spokesperson added: “We are extremely grateful for the hard work and dedication of Kingston Barnes. The money raised will make a significant difference to the children we support during the Christmas period.”
