The intrepid volunteer riders behind initiative Pedalling for Pubs: Cycle Jordan have sprinted past an initial £100,000 fundraising-milestone. The group is on track to smash the original collective total target of raising £140,000 for vital industry charities, organisers say.
The brainchild of KAM Media’s Katy Moses, the epic two-wheeled challenge, which is raising funds for two fantastic industry charities, will see 27 heroic riders from across the hospitality industry take on hot weather conditions, tricky mountainous terrain and long distances as they pedal almost 350km across the country of Jordan in four days.
With more than four months of training and fundraising still ahead of the challenge departure date of 10th March 2022, the collective effort has already raised an incredible £110,000, with the total being distributed evenly between Only A Pavement Away and the Licensed Trade Charity, both of which have been fundamental in supporting those in need over the last 20 months and beyond.
The challenge has received fantastic support from its sponsors Greene King, Lucky Saint, Punch Taverns and Wireless Social as well as incredible sponsorship and endorsement across the hospitality and pub sectors, including at key industry events organised by the British Beer & Pub Association, the BII, H2O Publishing and William Reed Business Media.
Katy Moses, Managing Director at KAM Media, said: “We are absolutely thrilled and so grateful for the incredible support we have received so far for Pedalling for Pubs. Colleagues and friends from across the industry have really got behind this effort to support two amazing charities, and we are really excited about what we might be able to achieve as a final total come March when we actually go about completing the challenge. We set what felt like a stretch target when we launched the challenge, but we now want to have a really good crack at smashing past that and raising as much as possible for these brilliant causes.
“We want to go further because both The Licensed Trade Charity and Only A Pavement Away do amazing, life-changing work. The latter is especially close to my heart as my mother, who died a couple of years ago, used to teach in a prison, so the idea of getting people similar to those she taught into gainful employment really appeals.”
As well as raising the profile of the challenges and encouraging donations, the ride participants – a 27-strong collective of operators and suppliers from across the hospitality and foodservice industries – have been cranking up the training this autumn.
In addition to Moses, the riders include: Clive Chesser of Punch Taverns; David Wigham of Admiral Taverns; Amber Staynings of Bums on Seats; Anthony Pender of Yummy Pubs (and former chairman of the BII); Steve Alton of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII); Sophie Goodall of Heineken UK; Mark Stretton of Fleet Street Communications; Geoffrey Campion of Chartwells UK; Julian Ross of Wireless Social; James Brown of Tipjar, and industry expert, Only A Pavement Away Trustee and Licensed Trade Charity School Governor, Paul Pavli.
Greg Mangham, founder and CEO of Only A Pavement Away said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to this group and to everyone that is backing this challenge. The money raised will be absolutely critical in helping us support people facing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans into careers within the hospitality industry. The work we do is only able to happen through incredible acts of generosity such as this, and we wish every rider the best of luck in completing the challenge – we’ll be thinking of you in the heat in March.”
James Brewster, CEO of the Licensed Trade Charity added: “What an incredible feat – this is a huge milestone and recognition for what will be an amazing achievement; 335km in just four short days to help support countless people in need across the hospitality sector. The money raised will be put towards a number of vital initiatives that we run across the mental wellbeing, housing, health, education and employment support landscapes, and it is a privilege to have been selected to put this money to its best possible use. Thank you to each and every one of the brave riders taking part – and all the best for training, fundraising and of course the challenge itself.”
To find out more about the challenge, who is participating and to donate, please follow this link: https://pedallingforpubs.org.uk/donate/.
