Keilder Charity Cycle Ride
On a sunny Friday morning, a group of excited workers from The Co-operative Clothing office and warehouse headed off to the beautiful surroundings of Keilder Lake. The reason for this road trip was to cycle a 13 mile trek along one side of this massive lake and help raise money for Mencap, The Co-operative Charity of the Year.
We finally arrived at the top of Keilder Lake and unloaded the bikes. Helmets on and water bottles filled we were all feeling fit and raring to go. The girls (Julie Perry, Stephanie Pearson, Emma Gray, Suzanne Robinson, Lyndsey Waggitt, Tracey McWilliams, Michelle Dixon and Ann Anderson) were given a 10 minute head start whilst the boys (Simon Watson, Roy Flowdy, Cameron Garside, Joe Shepherd, Eddie Waggitt and Billie Emerson) waited impatiently for their time to go.
Finally the boys set off 10 minutes later but within minutes they were lost in a maze of paths and dead ends, whilst the girls cycled off merrily on the correct path heading towards the half way rendezvous point. Eventually the boys thought they found the correct path and cycled hard to make up for lost time and tried to catch the girls up. However no matter how hard and fast they cycled the girls were no where to be seen. After a couple of miles of cycling, it dawned on the boys that the lake was on their right when it should have been on their left. They realised they had went the wrong way around the lake! Howard Davies (Warehouse Manager) and his wife Margaret were cycling behind to help any stragglers along the route but unfortunately made the fateful decision of following the boys along the wrong track. Despite going the wrong way and hitting loads of steep hilly terrain, the boys were undeterred and went on with the mission of getting to the finishing point at the bottom of the lake in good time.
The girls reached the half way rendezvous point in good time and had a little break and breather to prepare themselves for the last half of the journey. Meanwhile on the other side of the lake, the boys were fighting steep banks and sharp corners on the tougher track with no time to stop for a break.
The dam at the bottom of the lake was finally insight for the boys and crossing this would put the finishing line within touching distance. Finally Nathan and Eddie were the 1st to reach the finishing point followed closely by the rest of the boys and Howard and Margaret. Whilst the boys recapped on their journeys and the awful navigational skills of Nathan there was still no sign of any of the girls! Eventually 15 minutes later Lyndsey Waggitt (Warehouse Team Leader) appeared and came 1st for the girls with Julie Perry (Designer) closely behind. Then the rest of the girls began arriving with the exception of Ann Anderson (Warehouse Operative). After sending out a search party (Billy Emerson) she was found nearby and reached the final checkpoint safely.
A well deserved pint was had before heading off on the journey home. With plenty of stories of the day’s events and very sore bottoms it was a great day had by all.
Roy Flowdy (B2B Internal Manager) said “Despite deciding to ride along the tougher, steeper north bank course I thoroughly enjoyed the bike ride. It was a great team day out and fantastic way to raise money for an excellent cause.”
Howard Davies also added “The Charity Cycle Ride was a fabulous effort by all the participants, with some great individual performances where we had a great day out whilst raising over £1,000 for Mencap. Fortunately Stephen Brown’s plan to ensure that the girl’s team won the event by giving them a ten minute start and then sending the guys on the harder red trail backfired, the guys crossed the line first in grand style, this was due to the never say die attitude of the guys and my better half ensuring I did not stop.”
We would like to say a big thank you to Howard Davies, Lynn Hayes (Inventory Controller) and Stephen Brown (Warehouse Shift Manager) and everybody else involved for all their help in organising this fantastic event. Also a big thank you to those who held the fort at the warehouse and office for keeping things running smoothly and efficiently whilst we where peddling around Keilder. We raised over £1000 for Mencap (once all monies have been collected we will confirm the exact final amount) and all involved should be very proud at what they have achieved.
