Knauf cycle team raises £5k

A team of fundraisers from Knauf Drywall has completed a four-day cycle in aide of charity

The ride, from Knauf’s plant in Immingham, near Hull, to its Sittingbourne factory, raised over £5000 for youth charity the Lord’s Taverners in the process.

The 20-strong team faced a four-day slog covering 237 miles. With June 2012 being the wettest on record, the weather was a big handicap – although a facing wind for most of the day was a greater challenge than the rain. Beyond that, loads of punctures, lots of ‘fallings off’, a collapsed back wheel and narrowly avoiding joining a motorway by mistake were the worst of their troubles.

The last day of the ride saw the cyclists with a mere 43 miles to complete and – with true esprit de corps – a staggered start ensured that all the team, stragglers and sprinters alike, arrived at its final destination as one body.

John Maude, works manager for Sittingbourne, says: “For the most part everyone enjoyed it I would encourage everyone to have a go at something like this again – it has been such a craic. And, of course, raising thousands of pounds to help underprivileged youngsters is no bad thing either.”