Staff complete mammoth Telford charity cycle challenge
Staff from a Telford human resources company turned pedal power into pounds by cycling almost 800 miles in just one day for mental health charities.
About 44 staff at ResourceBank took turns to cycle for half an hour at a time, with the aim of virtually covering 783 miles on static bikes – with only one slight injury of someone with a pulled muscle.
They joined in with staff at the firm's office in Central Park, Telford, the office in Henley-on-Thames and the office in India, as well as in their homes to raise more than £2,000, with donations still arriving.
The virtual route took staff members on a tour of the UK head offices of 15 key customers, travelling from Yorkshire, through London, Cornwall and Birmingham, then finishing at their Telford offices.
The recruitment, talent and HR services team raised money for Action Medical Research, the company’s partner charity, and Shout85258, the UK’s first free confidential text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling with mental health.
They began their endurance test at 10am on Monday, commonly known as Blue Monday and said to be the most depressing day of the year, and planned to complete the whole distance by 10am on January 17.
Mike Ellingham, head of marketing, said: "Four members of staff at Telford took turns throughout the night and we had people cycling from home and from elsewhere.
"We managed to finish bang on time and we are all very happy with how things went.
"It has given the team a real bonding experience on what is known as Blue Monday.
"We raised more than £2,000 and money is still coming in and hope to reach a final figure of £3,000."
Richard Pearson, chief executive of ResourceBank, said: “Last year we held the first of our Blue Monday events, rowing for 24 hours in support of Team Elijah’s Star.
“The event raised more than £2,500 for a fantastic charity, but more importantly gave us all a fun group activity to focus on during a challenging time of year.
“We all enjoyed it so much that we decided to make our Blue Monday challenge an annual event.
“This year we swapped the rowing machines for bikes and every member of staff volunteered to take part, either by cycling or by supporting and I am delighted by the positive reaction of the team.”
People were invited to support the team through a JustGiving page.
