CBRE's Northern team takes to the roads in the name of charity
The Northern offices of CBRE’s UK team are preparing for a potential 100km cycling marathon in the name of charity. As many as 300 amateur cyclists will take to the roads of the Yorkshire Dales in a bid to kick-start a £15,000 funding drive in support of Action for Children.
Throughout the summer months, the consulting industry traditionally makes the most of the brief window of good weather to boost its corporate social responsibility efforts. This year, this has seen a number of firms go to extraordinary lengths in the name of charity, from Gate One’s 20 mile ‘rat race’ to Grant Thornton’s airport runway marathon and Ingleton Wood’s annual football tournament.
Now, CBRE’s Northern office teams are preparing for cycling success at the firm’s inaugural The Great North Property Bike Ride. The event is a spin-off of CBRE UK’s World’s Biggest Property Bike Ride, which took place in June, this year featuring more than 850 riders who cycled through the Surrey Hills. The annual event in the property calendar has raised more than £170,000 in its five-year history, and due to its success, CBRE decided to localise it to raise money for Action for Children.
Earlier in the year, CBRE signed a two-year partnership with the children’s charity, with the aim of raising £500,000 to help build safe and loving homes for more than 700 children in care and foster parents. Riders at CBRE’s new event, which will launch on September 12. CBRE is hoping to attract more than 300 cyclists, and is appealing to property professionals across Yorkshire and the North West to get involved, with riders from CBRE's offices in Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds presented with a choice between cycling either 50km or 100km for advanced riders. The cycling tour will embark from the Broughton Hall Estate in Skipton on roads around the Yorkshire Dales, even taking in some of the 2014 Tour de France route, when the world famous cycling race visited England.
John Ogden, executive director and managing director for CBRE's North business, said, "We are delighted to launch our first Great North Property Bike Ride for such an inspirational charity that makes a direct and vital contribution to young people across the UK. We aim to raise more than £15,000 and this event will help to kick start our fundraising activities in the North. It promises to be a great day out and riders of all levels are encouraged to participate."
Highlighting the importance of the event to the charity, Carol Iddon, Action for Children’s acting chief executive, said, "We are extremely grateful to CBRE and all participants whose collective pedal power will have such a huge impact on the lives of so many young people. The money raised will help our team source accommodation for children leaving care, provide emotional support and help them to secure education, employment and training opportunities."
Related: PwC rides again, as June charity cycle tour begins.
