Accountants raise £18,000 with 24 hour Tour de France challenge

A 24-hour cycling challenge by accountancy firm has added up to an £18,500 donation to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Staff at Prime Accountants Group, which has offices in Birmingham, Coventry and Solihull, challenged themselves to emulate the world-famous Tour de France cycle race by riding the distance of the epic bike ride in just 24 hours.

A team of 50 volunteers took to the saddle in Solihull’s Touchwood Shopping Centre to tackle the task and their collective pedal power saw them smash both their £10,000 fundraising target and the 2,092-mile distance.

Kevin Johns, managing director at Prime, said: “At Prime, we always try and go the extra mile to raise money for local charities over the years but this is our most demanding effort so far.

“Our staff really stepped up to the challenge and signed up to cycle the equivalent of the Tour de France in 24 hours in a relay on six bikes.

“The challenge was not without its difficulties. Many of those staying for the whole 24 hours had little to no sleep, one of our directors was sent home ill and our semi-professional cyclist Gabriella Nordin from our audit and accounts team injured her knee.

“However, the team showed great character to pull together and put everything into ensuring they succeeded.

“This resulted in not only 24 hours of pain and tiredness, but a real sense of comradery, grit and achievement. One of the team said it really proves Prime is more than just a group of colleagues, and that was great to hear.

“We are proud of every single individual who contributed to the event. We are grateful of every donation received and know that this money will go a long way to help the patients at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.”

Helen Rawnsley, corporate partnerships officer at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’re so grateful to all of their volunteers from Prime for taking on such a huge challenge.

“Their support helps enormously and the money raised will go towards helping us deliver expert care to the 90,000 children and young people from across the country who need us every year.”