Member Article

Cintra cycles coast to coast for COCO

Colleagues from Gateshead company Cintra have got on their bikes to raise vital funds for international children’s charity COCO (Comrades of Children Overseas). Twenty-eight employees from the award-winning HR and payroll company took part in the Coast to Coast challenge, a 137-mile cycle race from Whitehaven to Tynemouth, raising in excess of £5,000 for the Newcastle-based charity in the process.

Adding an element of friendly rivalry to the annual fundraising initiative, the participants undertook the challenging cycle ride through stunning scenery and testing terrain in eight teams of three. Finishing in first place was The Odd Squad, comprising Jennifer Wallace, Tom Stewart and Andy Mackenzie, crossing the line just ahead of teams including Cycle Flatley, Bike Tyson and the controversially named Danish Dynamite Destroyers.

Cintra’s Coast to Coast cycle race has raised £5,000 in vital funds so far, and donations are still pouring in. The proceeds will go towards supporting COCO’s work with communities in remote regions of East Africa, helping young people access the education that can allow them to build successful futures for themselves.

Cintra is a longstanding supporter of COCO having supported the Coast to Coast for several years, attended COCO’s annual ball, taken part in a Boxing Day dip and organised numerous other fundraising events on behalf of the charity. Next on the fundraising agenda is a wine tasting evening taking place at the Baltic on 30th November.

Carsten Staehr, Chief Executive of award-winning Cintra, who is also a COCO board member, said: “Once again we had a fantastic time taking part in the Coast to Coast cycle race. The dedication of the winning team was immense – sacrificing lunch and all refreshments on the second leg of the race to ensure they got to lift the coveted Coast to Coast trophy. It was an eventful ride for some too…adding an extra 20 miles by going ‘off road’ in every sense of the word! COCO has been Cintra’s charity for many years, mainly because they make a really big difference to the lives of children in marginalised communities. We love that they always tell us how our donations are used and always work on projects that are sustainable.”

Lucy Kendall, CEO of COCO, said: “Cintra is a dedicated corporate partner and once again the team has completed a tough challenge and raised a fantastic amount of money to support our work. We’re incredibly grateful to Carsten and all of the team for their ongoing commitment and we hope that they’re not too sore from being in the saddle for 137 miles!

“COCO is incredibly proud to have reached a landmark £4 million in donations which has supported over 50 transformational projects in 16 countries, positively impacting the lives of more than 175,000 people. We hope to encourage even more businesses to get behind our work like Cintra and raise even more money to change the lives of young people in some of the poorest parts of the world.” To find out more about the work of COCO visit www.coco.org.uk, find the charity on Facebook or follow @COCO_Charity on Twitter.

For further information about Cintra visit www.cintra.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Chris Lines .