Three Hayfield employees and three consultants will be taking on an epic 200 miles in a day cycling challenge to raise much-needed funds for West Midlands-based youth homelessness charity St Basils.
The Ironbridge to Sandbanks challenge will take place on Wednesday 19th August. The trio of riders from Hayfield – the UK’s Best Small Housebuilder – comprises Design Manager Steve Davies, Engineering Manager Oliver Pocock and Commercial Director Jon Jones. Making up the squad of six are their comrades Andy Allen, Reuben Bellamy and Roly Greaves.
The fundraising target for the challenge has been set at £5,000, in order to pay for 500 overnight bed spaces, which is the number of young people St Basils supports and accommodates on a daily basis. Since the Covid-19 lockdown commenced in March, the charity has been faced with additional costs in excess of £120,000, while major fundraisers such as the London Marathon and the Great Birmingham Run have been postponed or cancelled altogether.
Steve Davies, Design Manager for Hayfield said: “We had all signed up to cycling challenges for 2020 – such as the Birmingham Velo – which have all been cancelled. Although long distance training and group riding has been very restricted since March, now that the lockdown is easing, we are fully committed to undertake this major challenge to help raise funds for Hayfield’s charity partner – St Basils. While lockdown has been a testing time for us all, we are very grateful to have our jobs, our houses and a happy homelife. The young people that St Basils helps on a daily basis face complex challenges that have only been heightened due to the affect Coronavirus has had on the economy and how we go about our everyday lives.
“None of us have ever tackled this sort of distance before, so it will be a journey into the unknown! By pushing ourselves completely out of our comfort zone for what will be a very long and testing day, we hope that we can count on the generosity of our family, friends and those we work with to dig deep and donate.”
The squad of six has elected to take on the challenge without a support vehicle, instead plotting cycling shops and cafes every 40 miles along the route to use as pit stops. The estimated time that will be required to complete the route is 14 hours, with bike lights required at the beginning and end of the day.
Barrie Hodge, Head of Fundraising and Communications for St Basils said: “We are hugely grateful to Hayfield for supporting us in this way, especially the six riders who will be enduring a punishing day in the saddle.
“With so few sporting fundraisers taking place this year, it has been an incredibly tough time for all charities. The work we do with young people across the West Midlands to enable them to find and keep a home, develop their skills, increase opportunities – and ultimately prevent youth homelessness – is essential. We work with over 5,000 young people every single year and with some regular sources of funds totally drying up since lockdown commenced four months ago, we need to work harder than ever to be able to cover the costs of the vital support we provide night after night.”
To place a donation, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Team/Hayfield200forStBasils