Bike ride to HSBC's new Birmingham home raises £70,000 for Alzheimer's charities
A charity bike ride by HSBC staff to their new Birmingham headquarters has beaten all estimates after raising more than £70,000.
The 32-strong team rode a total of 9,600 kilometres – more than 6,000 miles – aiming to raise £50,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Scotland with their Road to Birmingham effort.
Their target was to reach the new home of HSBC UK, currently under construction in Birmingham city centre.
The charity ride brought together volunteer cyclists from across HSBC UK’s network, including teams from Scotland, Sheffield, Cardiff and London.
The ride took place over three days with each person covering around 300km, and each team riding 2,400km. The distance covered by all the teams is the equivalent of cycling from London to Hong Kong.
Mark Rippon, HSBC area director and team captain for the West, said: “Being part of something that will raise thousands for a charity close to my heart has been an amazing experience. My Grandfather developed Alzheimer’s towards the end of his life and I saw first-hand the effect it had, not only on him but on his family around him. This was our chance to make a difference and I am proud to be part of the Road to Birmingham.”
In addition to raising money for charity, the ‘Road to Birmingham’ is helping promote an active lifestyle for HSBC’s employees, following on from the bank’s partnership with British Cycling. The partnership, in its inaugural year, aims to embed cycling as a part of the country’s everyday way of life.
Luke Harper, head of HSBC UK’s partnership with British Cycling, said: “Our partnership with British Cycling is about getting people on their bike, whether it is for travel, fitness or leisure. The ‘Road to Birmingham’ provides HSBC colleagues with a bit more of a challenge, raising a significant amount of money for charity in the process."
