The FINANCIAL — A team of sixty cyclists from Barclays UK Legal and Compliance, and their corporate partners, have completed a gruelling 600km ride from Paris to Milan, raising £350,000 for UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation.
The route took nine days to complete and started on the streets of Paris before taking riders through the rolling hills of Dijon, and up over the Alps, before finishing in Milan.
Each rider was on the road for up to ten hours a day, with forty of the cyclists opting to tackle the Col du Mont Cenis, one of the most famous Alpine passes. The challenging detour involved nearly 10km of climbing, including an ascent of 682m and an uphill gradient of eleven per cent.
The money raised through the challenge, called Wheels for Change, will enable UNICEF to support some of the world’s most vulnerable children and help transform children’s lives at many different stages. As Barclays reported, vaccinations will protect babies from an early age; improved access to education will reduce the number of girls missing out on school; and training for young people will equip them with skills for the workplace.
Shane Hawkins, Chief of Staff for Barclays Legal & Compliance, who leads the organisation of the event, said:
“Wheels for Change has been a huge success, half a million children benefitted from life saving vaccinations as a result of last year’s ride, and we are thrilled to have achieved an even bigger total this year by taking on the challenge of the Alps.
“I’d like to thank all our colleagues and partners who put in many hours of hard work, both in training and completing the race, and in raising so much money for UNICEF. Wheels for Change is just one way that Barclays is contributing to wider interests of society and is something we can all feel proud of.”
Victoria Lindop, Head of Corporate Fundraising at UNICEF said “All the cyclists who have taken part in this gruelling Wheels for Change challenge should be really proud. Not only have they completed one of the toughest cycle routes across Europe, but they have also put thousands of children on the road to a brighter future, thanks to all the money they've raised for UNICEF.”
This is the second time that Wheels for Change has taken place in aid of UNICEF. Last year cyclists rode from Edinburgh to London raising nearly £300,000 for UNICEF’s measles immunisation work across Africa.
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