Last week, nine members of the Ainscough team took on the 170-mile Way of the Roses cycle route from Morecambe to Bridlington, raising money for five UK charities. The riders came together from Ainscough depots across the country, making it a true company-wide effort. The ride took place over two days, starting on 16th October and finishing the following day. Despite cold, strong headwinds and some steep climbs, the team made it to the finish.
The ride raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support, Blood Cancer UK, Make A Wish UK, The Lighthouse Charity and Alzheimer’s UK. The team set a target of £2,500 and smashed it before the end of the first day and so far, they have raised £5,960 with the total is still climbing.
Our Operations Support Director, Mark James said “Two tough days of cycling, with steep and long hills on day one and strong headwinds on day two. Some sore bodies at the end of the ride, but also a fantastic sense of achievement.”
The team had great support from across the company, including one of our drivers, who volunteered to drive the minibus carrying the cyclists’ gear. Mark added “Chapeau to the whole team, with a big shout-out to Jay Shepherd, who drove the minibus and looked after us along the way.”
The ride is part of our mission to raise £50,000 to mark Ainscough’s 50th year. So far this year we’ve held sponsored bake-offs, charity walks and open days, and now we’ve ticked off the Way of the Roses. The company total currently stands at £39,780 with plenty more planned before the year is out.
Mark said “Sincere thanks to all the team members who took personal time out, and to everyone who made donations to support the charities.”
If you’d like to support the team’s charity bike ride, you can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/ainscough-way-of-the-roses
