Nuvias UC cyclists raise over £5,000 for charity

UPDATE July 2022: the team have now raised over £6,500.

On 16th June, a team of nine brave Nuvias UC employees cycled between the company’s offices – in Newbury and Cwmbran (south Wales) – to raise funds for the British Red Cross and in memory of Nuvias UC employee, Carl Smith who sadly passed away in 2021.

The initiative, comprising a journey which is more than 100 miles each way, was the brainchild of Vendor Operations Specialist Anna Skolasinska-Barnett and Cloud Solutions Director Mark Purdom, which was soon named the ‘Nuvias UC Big Bike’. Anna said:

“Little did I know that an ad hoc conversation about hobbies would turn into something wonderful and significant on a charity front.”

Seven other employees signed up to raise funds and undertake the challenge:

• Ben Lynch, Account Manger
• Daniel Cranstone, Business Development Manager
• Stephen Davies, Head of IT
• Steve Dean, Senior Pre-Sales Specialist
• Will Stephens, Business Development Executive
• Scott Gregory, RMA Team Leader
• Richard Ireson, Cloud Sales Specialist

The team set an ambitious target of £5,000 and, following months of training, on Thursday 16th June they set off from the Newbury office at 6.30am. Temperatures reached highs of 29° and the team arrived at the Cwmbran offices to much jubilation just before 6pm.

Mark Purdom who took part in the ride said:

“Believe me, until you tried it, you have no idea how tough the hills around Celtic Manor can be when you have cycled 90 miles already.”

As all of the team celebrated their achievement, four super-keen members of the team committed to complete the return journey (another 100+ miles) the next day, when temperatures would soar to 32°!

Reflecting on the challenge Mark said:

“I’d like to congratulate every one of the team who made it to Wales and doubly so for those who cycled back.”

“Secondly, thank you to you all for helping us hit our fund-raising target. As I write we have raised £5,138 against our target of £5,000. Thank you to those who gave and those who encouraged others to give. Donations are still very welcome.”

If you’d like to support the team, you can do so via this link: Nuvias UC Big Bike The Ukraine Crisis Appeal is fundraising for The British Red Cross Society (justgiving.com)