Suits and business attire will give way to Lycra and high-vis clothing later this month when a team of solicitors and business services staff from regional commercial law firm Thrings’ Bristol office cycle to Paris to raise funds for the city’s Above & Beyond hospital charity.
Ten keen cyclists from the office will join the 80-strong team of business people, clinicians and patient’s families to take part in the 430km cycle challenge from to the French capital.
Together they aim to raise £150,000 for a new state-of-the-art cardiac ultrasound for Bristol children’s hospital. The Thrings team has already netted more than its £20,000 target.
Departing from Bristol on April 29, the team will make its way through the Somerset countryside towards Salisbury and on to Portsmouth. After crossing the Channel, they will head towards Évreux, before arriving in Paris four days later.
Head of Thrings’ Bristol office Colin Stratton, a member of the firm’s cycling team, said: “Each member of the team recognises the scale and magnitude of the challenge that lies ahead. Everyone is totally committed to making a difference to the lives of the 350 children from across Bristol and the South West with life-limiting heart conditions who need life-saving surgery at Bristol children’s hospital every year.
“While Above & Beyond is the Bristol office’s charity of the year, all four of Thrings’ offices have thrown their weight behind the fundraising effort. The firm, its clients and its referrers have all done their bit, supporting initiatives such as an auction evening, a sponsored static bike challenge, cakes sales and an office quiz. With the firm’s charity committee also agreeing to match any money raised, this has truly been a team effort and we are delighted to have already beaten our £20,000 fundraising target.”
Above & Beyond head of corporate partnerships Lorna Clarke added: “We have been absolutely overwhelmed by the commitment and support of the team at Thrings and everyone who has come together to train, fundraise and take on this remarkable challenge. It’s incredibly inspiring to see so many people unite in a common cause knowing that their support will give local children with complex heart conditions a greater chance of enjoying a normal and active childhood.”
To find out more information about the Above & Beyond Bristol to Paris Challenge, or to make a donation to Team Thrings, please click here.
Bristol Business News will give full coverage of the Bristol to Paris Challenge departure on April 29 and will follow the progress of the intrepid cyclists with regular reports, updates and live blogs as they make their way to the French capital.
Pictured, the Thrings cycling team. From left: Richard Cook; Richard Price; Duncan Snook; Rebecca Jones; Brett Lambe; Rosalyn Trotman; Colin Stratton (front); Naomi Butler; Natalia Sokolov; Alastair Govier
