Magnificent seven ride to raise £3,000 for Blackpool hospice

The members of staff from building services engineering company, Ameon, were happy to put their best foot forward for charity when they tackled a 25-hour, 290-mile non-stop cycle challenge to generate much-needed donations for Brian House Children’s Hospice.

There was no chance of inclement weather halting proceedings either, as the coast to coast, Blackpool to Scarborough and return ‘cyclathon’ was a virtual event, ridden in relay, using a state-of-the-art gym bike in Ameon’s Blackpool offices but mapping specific milestones along a pre-planned virtual route to the east coast and back.

The event was one of a series being undertaken by Ameon directors, management and staff as part of the company’s ‘Ameon 25’ programme, which has been set up to raise vital funds for Brian House as a different way of celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The 25-hour heroics were more remarkable for a team with an average age of 50, because one of its number, Louise Field, had to drop out due to Covid-19, leaving the remaining seven to add extra miles to their own relay slots on the ride to complete the challenge in the time set.

Ameon’s team of: Jean O’ Hagan, Susan Connolly, Caroline Thistlethwaite, Debra Wraith, Stacey Perkes, Lisa Kinsey and Lisa Kelly each completed 30 minutes flat out cycling to eat up the 290 virtual miles and the team was spurred on from her sickbed by poorly team member, Louise Field, who was “gutted” that she wasn’t able to play her part in person.

Jean O’Hagan said: “It was great to be able to play our part in the fundraising for Brian House. It was much more difficult than we thought it would be but the girls spurred each other on, despite having little or no sleep in the 25-hour period.

“The event wouldn’t have been possible without the fantastic support of another Blackpool company, so we also have to thank gym owners, Jamie Ashworth and Tariq Robertson, of T-12 Body Transformation, who played their part by loaning us one of their high performance gym bikes for the ‘cyclathon’.

"We return it with a few more miles on the clock but all in a good cause!”