Charities across the UK and Ireland are set to benefit from a £2,654 fundraising boost after more than 140 SHS colleagues took on the Group’s annual SHS Cycle Challenge, collectively clocking up more than 1,520km in just five hours.
Colleagues across seven SHS sites went head-to-head in the virtual cycling challenge, competing to cover the greatest distance while raising funds for their locally nominated charities. SHS Group then matched the money raised by colleagues, doubling the overall donation to £5,308.
Now in its third consecutive year, the SHS Cycle Challenge has become a highlight of the Group’s Responsible Business Week, combining colleague engagement with fundraising for causes that matter to the communities in which SHS operates.
Alongside the cycling challenge, sites boosted their fundraising totals through bake sales, raffles, mini games and breakfast stations, creating a day of activity across the business.
This year’s fundraising will support a range of charities including Air Ambulance NI, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Alzheimer’s Research UK, Louth Disability Cycling Club, Teckels Animal Sanctuaries, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Hope House Children’s Hospices.
The Cycle Challenge forms part of SHS Group’s Champion a Charity campaign, through which colleagues at each site nominate a charity to support over a two-year period through fundraising and volunteering.
The funds raised will help support a range of causes across the UK and Ireland, including emergency medical services, children’s healthcare, disability inclusion, animal welfare, dementia research and hospice care.
Kellie-Ann Hoey, Communications & Responsible Business Director at SHS, said:
“The SHS Cycle Challenge has become a fantastic engagement event at SHS. Every year, colleagues come together during Responsible Business Week to make a meaningful difference to the charities they support.
“This year, more than 140 colleagues across seven sites got involved, collectively cycling over 1,520km in just five hours. I am incredibly proud of the commitment and enthusiasm of our colleagues, and we are delighted to further support their efforts through SHS Group’s match-funding contribution, doubling the funds raised and enabling us to make an even greater impact for our charity partners.”
The initiative supports SHS Group’s wider responsible business strategy, built around its People, Planet and Place pillars. Through these, SHS is focused on creating an inclusive and supportive workplace, building a more sustainable business and empowering colleagues to contribute to local causes.
Colleagues will continue fundraising and volunteering for their nominated charities over the coming year, extending the impact of these partnerships and helping to make a positive difference in the communities in which they operate.