Team Sunny Hearters led by Harriet Green (@harrietgreen1) finished the course in just over 6 hours in extreme weather for which no amount of training could have prepared them. It was a great showing by the team who have worked hard over the past few months, to raise £100K for Whizz-Kidz and Thomas Cook Children’s Charity.
The 100 mile race was shortened by organisers to 86 miles, cutting out the section of the route that included Leith Hill and Box Hill due to the extreme weather conditions and fears for rider safety. It was smiles all round as the team finished in The Mall to loud cheers of their supporters despite the rain-drenched final miles of the event.
Thanks to the huge support of Thomas Cook stores throughout the day across the course from Stratford down through Guildford, Leatherhead and finishing at The Mall, near Marble Arch store, and special collections on Thomas Cook flights, the team now have the chance to beat its target.
“I was overwhelmed by the level of participation carried out by Thomas Cook employees” said Harriet Green, Thomas Cook CEO and team-member of Team Sunny Hearters. “Today’s event was amazing, brilliantly organised with great marshalls and effortless organisation despite the change of plan. Wonderful spirit by riders, helping each other. Fantastic support all along the route spurring on the riders. Truly memorable and despite weather of biblical proportions, we all finished and are on track to delivering our target. A great day. Thanks to all involved”
Showing true British spirit throughout the day, all participants of the shortened 86 mile event were cheered on by store staff who had organised cakes, T-shirts, ride to work and dressing up events to try and capture the public’s imagination and fuel a period of last minute giving to help Team Sunny Hearters on their way to the £100K goal. Staff at Thomas Cook London Stratford were up at 4am to support the team and wave them off at the start of the race.
Donations continue to stream in. It’s not too late to donate towards these great causes by visiting http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/TeamSunnyHeart or by texting “suni 00 £2” to 70070 (£2 donation).
“This once again goes to show how people are at the very heart of what we do at Thomas Cook” continues Harriet Green. “Our core values mean that we strive towards being the best we can be in all we do and I am very proud of everyone who got involved in today’s event and has helped make a difference to children’s lives.”
About Thomas Cook Children’s Charity
The Thomas Cook Children’s Charity has raised over £5 million in the last 5 years through a mixture of sources, ranging from customer donations to payroll giving and staff fundraising initiatives. The aim of the Charity is to improve children’s lives with a four-tiered approach to working together with partner organisations; caring for the environment, providing safe clean drinking water and by improving education, well-being and health care facilities.
For more information visit the website at http://www.thomascookchildrenscharity.com.
About Whizz-Kidz
There are an estimated 70,000 disabled children and young people in the UK waiting for a wheelchair that fits their young lives. That’s where we come in. Whizz-Kidz provides disabled children with the essential wheelchairs and other mobility equipment they need to lead fun and active childhoods. And at Whizz-Kidz, the wheelchair is just the start – we also run youth groups, wheelchair skills training, work experience placements and residential camps.
For more information visit the website at http://www.whizz-kidz.org.uk/.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
Contacts
Thomas Cook Group plc
Jenny Peters
Group Head of Communications
Phone: +44 207 557 6431
E-mail: [email protected]
or
Thomas Cook Children’s Charity
Aoife McDonogh
Charitable Relations Manager
Phone: +44 1733 417 316
E-mail: [email protected]
