Businesses smash Vélo Birmingham fundraising target
Birmingham businesses participating in the Vélo Birmingham cycle ride have smashed a fundraising target set prior to the event.
The 100-mile cycle race attracted 15,000 riders when it was staged last month. The event is expected to raise around £2m by the time the pledged funds are collected.
The Vélo Birmingham Business 100 challenge set prior to the race aimed at raising £100,000.
In the event, more than £123,000 has been raised by the business teams which took part in the race, which saw cyclists ride through Birmingham, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Sandwell and Dudley.
The sportive’s Business 100 participants began the day in an exclusive starting wave led by Vélo Birmingham ambassador and England Rugby World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson.
The challenge was won by the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB) Eye Cycle Team, which collected £31,126. The team’s reward is an all-expenses trip for four riders to take part in the 2018 Cape Argos, a famous annual cycle held in Cape Town, South Africa.
Surgeons, patients and their families joined forces to raise money for sight-saving equipment as part of the QEHB Eye Appeal.
Their prize, donated by Vélo Birmingham’s official wine partner, Klein Constantia, includes flights, accommodation, an exclusive tour around the Klein Constantia vineyard, as well entry into the Cape Argos event.
Tim Matthews, Consultant Neuro-ophthalmologist at QEHB, said: “It was a pleasure to cycle Vélo Birmingham alongside my colleagues from the Eye Department at QEHB. We all enjoyed the significant challenge that cycling 100 miles posed to us and it was wonderful to raise so much money.
“We are all incredibly excited and honoured to have won the Business 100 prize and we look forward to sending a team over to South Africa next year.”
Birmingham-based workplace management specialists Donseed raised £22,615.25 for their charities of the year.
The Donseed team were joined by Martin Johnson as their honorary fifth member for the race.
Martin Johnson said: “It was a real privilege to take part in Vélo Birmingham. For me, being a part of the Business 100 has been a great experience, getting to meet teams taking part in Vélo Birmingham to raise money for some truly amazing, life-changing causes.
“My congratulations to all the businesses who took part and for reaching well over £100,000 raised. Here’s hoping they can top that for Vélo Birmingham 2018.”
Representatives from Walsall-based HomeServe – including CEO Martin Bennett – rode in aid of The Royal British Legion, specifically for the Legion’s Pop-in Centre in Birmingham. The team raised eventually raised £20,689 for the centre.
