Pedal power and determination get financial workers to Paris

Employees from a busy city financial firm have taken the time out of work to bike more than 300 miles to Paris.

The team from Insight Financial Associates took to the road to raise more than £6,000 for the local cancer charity Big C.

Team Insight was made up of company directors Simon Lister and Karl Jermyn, and trainee financial advisors Nick Welsh and Gordon Carver. Mr Carver said: “It was really hard work – certainly harder than any of us thought it would be. We put in a lot of training but we didn’t realise there were so many hills in south England and the north of France. Some of us struggled at times but we worked together and helped each other through. It was a really amazing experience.”

Day one of the journey saw the team setting off from Greenwich and covering more than 95 miles. On the next they took a ferry from Calais and covered a further 75 miles through rural landscapes and quiet back roads.

A rainy third day saw them set off from Abbeville and cover a further 75 miles, before finishing up at the base of the Eiffel Tower on day four. Mr Carver added: “I would definitely do it again. We had some problems, some rain along the way and one puncture which was on my bike, but I got a lot out of it, we had a lot of laughs along the way.”

Big C have raised more than £12m to build and fund a research centre, aiming to supply it with state-of-the-art equipment so it becomes a centre of excellence in the cancer research field.

Chief Executive of the charity Daniel Williams said “The Big C would like to thank Simon, Karl, Nick and Gordon for all their efforts. The energy they put into this cycle typifies that of Insight in adopting Big C as their charity of the year. We will make sure that every penny raised is targeted in support of those affected by cancer in Norfolk and Waveney.”

Managing Director of Insight Jason Howard said: “As a company we are very focussed on raising money for charity, and I am delighted that through team Insight taking up this challenge, we were able to raise £6,000 to benefit the work of local charity Big C, which is Insight’s charity of choice for 2008.”

“Insight are acutely aware of the severe pressure and stress caused to the patient and their families when cancer is diagnosed, and I am therefore proud that Team Insight stepped up to the mark and did their bit to help make a difference by helping this extremely worthwhile cause.”

The ride began on September 10 and wrapped on September 13.

Source: Evening News, Tuesday 21st October 2008