News from June

Prestwick Cycle Challenge

Over the course of three days, 90 employees from Regional Aircraft and other BAE Systems businesses in the UK jumped on their bikes to take part in the annual Prestwick Cycle Challenge; a gruelling 240-mile bike ride from Prestwick to Donegal, Ireland.

BAE Systems Regional Aircraft have been organising this annual event since 1997 and have so far raised a staggering £146,500 which has been split between their partner charity and charities local to their site. The team hope that the completion of the 2008 challenge will take the total beyond the £150,000 mark.

Kevin Coventry, member of the organising committee, said: “In previous years we have cycled all over Scotland. We have visited the islands of Arran, Mull, Bute, Skye and Gigha. We have cycled up the west coast and the Great Glen, around the Mull of Kintyre, through the Cairngorms, Sutherland and Caithness, around Galloway and the Borders, even venturing south of the border at Berwick. This year was our first full event outside Scotland and everyone was really looking forward to the Irish experience.”

'Loopy' Charity Challenge Cycle Ride 

A team of cyclists from the Insyte business unit are taking on a ‘loopy’ challenge during June by cycling around the southern Insyte sites. The team of ten who are doing the whole thing will start and finish at the New Malden site and cycle for five days in a circle via the sites in Chelmsford, Cwmbran, Filton, Dorchester, Christchurch, Cowes, Portsmouth, Waterlooville, Frimley and Sunbury – which is a total of 11 sites, 5 ferry crossings and 555 miles!

There are other riders joining them for various sections with the majority joining in on the final day between Portsmouth and New Malden. If you’d like to sponsor the team please visit their Just Giving page at www.justgiving.com/huey2. Also if you are from any of the sites mentioned please give the team loads of support when they arrive!

Good luck to Alan Minister, Adrian Dyer, Stephanie Cleaver, Steve Bulman, Ian Miller, Dave Hinsley, Dave Luff, David Walters, Rob Norris, Suzanne Constance, Tim Styles, Peter Hammond, Julian Stevens, Chris Dent, Chris Wallis, Duncan McCreddie and Lee Knight.  

Rags to Riches 

As an alternative launch event for the charity challenge partnership, the team at Portsmouth Insyte decided to ask employees to collect unwanted goods to help them fill 100 Sue Ryder Care bags with items like bric-a-brac, clothes and shoes - in fact anything which could be sold in the Sue Ryder Care shops to raise money for the charity.

Staff answered the call with such enthusiasm that they managed to fill over 150 bags for the Sue Ryder Care and they are still being filled! The contents of each bag is worth approximately £18 each and with the benefit Gift Aid these bags could be worth roughly £23 to the charity.

Due to the success of this initiative, other sites across the UK are set to follow suit and donate their qulaity unwanted goods to Sue Ryder Care.