Member Article

Support for cross channel charity cycle challenge

An Oxford based business has literally lived up to its name by supporting a cross channel cycling challenge which will raise money for a local charity.

Property management and maintenance specialist, DW Support Services, has agreed to cover all the expenses of the five riders tackling the Tour de Frambo and provide cycling gear branded with the trip logo.

The donation – worth around £1,500 - means all the sponsorship raised will go to the award winning Yellow Submarine charity. It helps people with learning disabilities to build their confidence, independence and a sense of self-worth, while meeting the huge need for respite for families and carers.

The 221 mile trip is the idea of Francis Delany, 39, long time supporter of the charity, who himself has cerebral palsy. He will set off on May 2nd - accompanied by friends, Dick Newman, 52; Pete, 41, and Ellen, 36, Mazey and Jason De Donato, 21, all from Oxford.

The riders hope to reach Paris on May 8th – just the day before Francis’ 40th birthday. He said: “Last year I swam a mile to raise £700 for Yellow Submarine, which gave me the confidence to think of a bigger challenge. I came up with the idea of the Tour de Frambo bike ride from Oxford to Paris. Arriving in Paris the day before my 40th birthday will be very special.

“Although it will definitely be gruelling for me I have been doing lots of cycling around Oxford, to and from my job at Homebase, training almost every day.

“This is not just about raising money. I also hope to help those with disabilities and to inspire people to do their own challenges. I think of myself as an able bodied person in a disabled body and I want to help people like me, who need a little more support.

“Yellow Submarine helps people to live independent lives and that is why I like to support it. I want to thank DW Support Services for its support because it means that far more of what we raise will go to the charity.”

Francis is writing a blog about his training which can be found at www.tourdeframbo.com The link to the donation site can also be found there. To find out more about Yellow Submarine visit www.yellowsubmarine.org.uk

Steven McMahon, Contracts Manager with DW Support Services, added: “I know Francis and when I heard about the Tour de Frambo and the fact that the team needed to raise quite a bit of cash before they could donate a penny to the charity, I thought we might be able to help out.

“The business and the people who work for it, regularly support worthy local causes and so we thought the least we could do would be to cover the trip expenses.

“We have been following Francis’ training through his blog and know how hard he and his friends have been working to make this possible and we wish then an enjoyable, successful and financially rewarding ride.”

Kate Sankey, Interim Head of Finance and Compliance with Yellow Submarine, said: “The support and generosity of DW Support Services means a huge amount to the cycle team, the organising committee and the charity and we thank the company hugely for the sponsorship.”

DW Support Services provides responsive repairs, planned maintenance, refurbishment and energy saving solutions to 10 clients in the south east of England – providing work for around 300 people. This includes more than 165,000 homes and five million square feet of office space.

Last year the company became a member of the Fastflow Group, a specialist in utility infrastructure, providing services to Northumbrian Water, Scottish Water, Anglian Water and National Grid (gas).

The group provides work for over 600 people and turnover this year is expected to top £60 million.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Paul Dobbie .