Member Article

Barratt Yorkshire West technical team raises over £1,800 cycling coast to coast in the name of charity

The technical team at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West recently hopped in the saddle and cycled from one side of the UK to the other in two days, raising £1,800 for local charity, St Gemma’s Hospice.

The cycle saw Barratt Developments’ Technical Director, Dave Hudson, jump on his bike alongside fellow members of the technical team, including Graham Rhodes, Martin Brown, Richard Colley, Gavin Wilkinson, Andy Croft, Tom Pardey and Steve Corcoran. The group travelled a total distance of 150 miles from Whitehaven on the west coast of England, to Tynemouth on the east. The cycle was in aid of Leeds-based charity, St Gemma’s Hospice, which provides the best possible care and quality of life for people with cancer and other terminal and life threatening illnesses.

The ride saw the team face 12,000 feet of climbing across the Lake District and North Pennines, battling difficult weather conditions, and took them 11 hours to reach their destination.

The cycle follows on from a 2015 ride that saw Dave travel over 300 miles from London to Paris, contributing to raising £40,000 for the Endeavour charity as part of a 45 strong peloton, as well as a 2016 ride which saw him travel the length of the UK, also raising £1,500 for St Gemma’s Hospice.

Dave, age 50, from Sheffield, based at Barratt Yorkshire West’s head office in Morley, Leeds, commented: “St Gemma’s Hospice is such a worthy charity that we at Barratt Yorkshire West continue to support and I am very pleased to again be involved in a cycle ride that has raised money for them, with a total so far of over £1,800. We followed the tradition of dipping the rear wheel in the sea at Whitehaven, with the front wheel in the sea at Tynemouth. It was always going to be a difficult ride, but the 40 MPH head wind and driving rain only added to the fun of the ride! The sun even shone down on us on the last half of the day, powering us through!”

Laura Ferris, Corporate Fundraiser at St Gemma’s Hospice, commented: “Barratt Developments Yorkshire West has been supporting St Gemma’s Hospice for ten years and we are continuously grateful for all of their hard work and help. We would like to thank Dave for yet again getting into the saddle, and with the help of the rest of the technical team, raising a fantastic amount for us, which will prove extremely valuable in helping us provide expert medical and emotional support to those in need, and their families.”

For more information on Barratt Developments, visit www.barrattdevelopments.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Richard Savage .