The relay began in Glasgow’s George Square and will visit every QBE office before arriving at its European headquarters in London in just over 2 weeks’ time on 21 September where cyclists will be met by colleagues who will have cycled from QBE’s office in Brussels.
The aim is for the sponsored relay to cover 1,500 miles and raise £25,000 which will be matched by a further £25,000 donation from QBE.
In this first leg of the tour, the cyclists will make the 230 mile journey to the Leeds office, passing through Gretna Green and enjoying the scenery through the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.
More than 75 QBE employees will take part in the relay and for those that can’t manage the gruelling road tour, static bikes will be in each QBE office along the route so that all staff have a chance to take part in the fund-raising.
Richard Pryce, Chief Executive Officer of QBE Business Insurance said: ‘We have a fantastic charity spirit at QBE and when we commit to something like this we really do our utmost to make the biggest impact. Breast Cancer Care and the work they do really resonates with QBE employees and that is why my colleagues and I are going the extra mile on our bikes.’
QBE offices will also be competing against each other on the static bikes with prizes for the fastest man and woman, the overall male and female champion and for the office which has cycled the most miles ‘per head’ of staff in the office.
Earlier this year QBE employees voted to adopt Breast Cancer Care as the company’s charity partner for the next two years by the end of which QBE is aiming to have raised an incredible £200,000.
The partnership is a key pillar of the work carried out by QBE’s charitable arm The QBE Foundation, which supports charities that help people overcome disadvantage, strengthen their abilities, and live more independently, successfully and productively.
Money raised through QBE’s fundraising will enable Breast Cancer Care to provide specialist nurses, local services and an emotional support network to help thousands of women and men find a way to live with, through and beyond breast cancer.
Samia al Qadhi, Chief Executive of Breast Cancer Care, said: “It is fantastic to see QBE employees are literally going the extra mile for people affected by breast cancer. We would like to thank everyone who is jumping on a bike, both indoors and out on the road. £50,000 is a huge amount of money and every penny raised will help Breast Cancer Care to continue to provide a lifeline of care and support for anyone affected by breast cancer.”
Staff at QBE’s Glasgow office start the relay from the City’s iconic George Square on 12 September and it then moves to Leeds (departing 15 September), Manchester and Stafford (16 Sep), Birmingham (17), Bristol (19), Chelmsford (21) arriving in London on Wednesday (21).
|
