 |
 |
 |
|
Pedal Power as IHA Team Raise over £10K for CharityBetween the 8-10 July, five of Irvine Housing Association’s staff team completed a 192 mile sponsored cycle from London to Paris. Paul Hillard, Patrick Shaw, Iain Gillan, Frank Boyle and John Brennan raised in excess of £10,000 for three charities.
The boys were waved off in their camper van – French flags in full flow - from the Association’s Irvine office on Thursday 7 July. The challenge commenced the following day when the team set off from London braving the rain and the hills, cycling 71 miles to Newhaven. From there, they sailed overnight to Dieppe, France. Day 2 was a slightly easier 54 miles, mostly on the Avenue Verte Cycle Path, staying overnight in Saint Germer de Fly. The last leg of the journey was extremely hilly, however after 67 miles, the team finally reached the Eiffel Tower at 7.30 pm on the Sunday evening.
 Paul Hillard, Chief Executive and cycle team member: “It was a real adventure! The final leg of the journey was like a comedy sketch – one of the team ended up over the handle bars, and then we lost our bearings 20 miles outside Paris! Fortunately, we met a British family out cycling who guided us to into central Paris. After months of intense training, it was amazing to be celebrating in front of the Eiffel Tower! Together we've raised a fantastic amount of money for our charities and I'd like to thank our sponsors and everyone who has generously donated.”
The cycle, sponsored by law firm Harper Macleod, raised funds for three good causes, Barnardo’s, and two other new charities that are currently being formed in memory of two local men, Derek McDowell and Anthony Quinn.
The Association’s staff have undertaken a number of fundraising events for charities that are selected annually. Over the previous five years, the total of this fundraising has now exceeded £30,000.
|
