£60,000 in charity aid

Jun 18 2009 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

FIRST Direct employees donned their lycra and set off on a gruelling 215-mile bike trek from Hamilton to Leeds - raising over £60,000 for charity in the process.

The event, held as part of the national Big Bike Ride organised by the NSPCC,will go towards the bank’s three-year national drive to raise £2 million for the charity’s Child’s Voice Appeal.

The appeal aims to help answer more calls to ChildLine and the NSPCC Helpline for adults concerned about a child.

Staff from the Hamilton call centre set out on their journey Friday evening, reaching their destination by Sunday evening.

The challenge was a gruelling and trying experience that even professional cyclists would struggle with.

The 42-strong team had a target of £50,000, which meant raising over £1000 each, but they performed so well that they smashed this by over £10,000.

Matt Colebrook, CEO of First Direct, was in Hamilton to take part in the charity cycle.

He said: "It was a tough and gruelling event for everyone taking part.

“The commitment and sheer determination of everyone involved was overwhelming."

To continue to support the appeal at www.childsvoiceappeal.org.uk