Intrepid clients, consultants and employees of a Midlands air conditioning installer put the wind in their wheels to raise £80,000 for a cancer charity.
The 17-strong group, led by Neil Gibbard, Regional Director of Coolair Equipment Ltd in Cannock, completed the daunting challenge of cycling 300 miles through South East Asia.
The six-day trip from Saigon in Vietnam to Angkor Wat in Cambodia was in aid of Challenge Cancer UK, which distributes funds across the range of cancer support from research to respite care.
Team Coolair set off from Saigon in Vietnam on their six-day ride
After 12 months of training on UK roads, Team Coolair faced cycling for up to eight hours a day along narrow paths and unmade cross-country tracks in crushing humidity and on one day high winds.
Neil Gibbard, who led a similar charity ride two years ago, after which he was made a Corporate Ambassador for Challenge Cancer UK, organised the challenge with the support of his company’s supplier and business partner Mitsubishi Electric Living Environmental Systems.
Neil Gibbard celebrates with colleague Laura Welsh
Neil, who also raised the largest individual sum of £9,030 towards the £80,846 total, said: “The team were all new to such a challenge and included biking novices, but everyone exceeded their physical and mental expectations – and their fundraising targets. Our many supporters and sponsors were tremendous in their encouragement and generosity.”
Accompanied by a local guide and a support vehicle for their bags, the party of 16 men and one woman cycled around paddy fields and along twisty temple-lined tracks in the lush Mekong Delta in Vietnam and then through the dry lands of ancient Cambodia.
Laura Welsh, Contracts Coordinator for Coolair, which had three staff and two clients in the team, said: “Having done a number of road runs including the Manchester 10K but only ever cycled on fixed bikes, I wanted to be challenged physically as well as raise money for such a worthy cause.
“It was an amazing experience cycling in the challenging terrain for up to 50 miles a day in the 40-degree heat, but it showed the value of team work as we encouraged each other on and at one point bunched together to protect ourselves from a strong headwind.”
Laura added: “The most memorable moments were our almost surreal arrival at the finish line, where it took a while for our achievement to sink in and being shocked into silence on a visit to a Cambodian killing field.”
Simon Seaton-Smith, Director of Birmingham-based M&E consultants Couch Perry Wilkes, commented: “The ride through jungles and on dirt tracks with basics for survival was the experience of a lifetime.
Neil Gibbard celebrates with local team guide Tan Doan
“It was also a complete shock to me but the organisational skills and meticulous itinerary prepared by Coolair and Mitsubishi ensured the risks concerned never felt overwhelming.”
Simon added: “Once we all realised what we accomplished, it made the hard work and dedication for raising the donations even more worthwhile. We were delighted to smash a very impressive target – and now Challenge Cancer UK will spend the money exactly as it should be distributed, and we would all do the ride again in a heartbeat.”
Team Coolair comprised Martin Atkins (Skerritt Electrical), Rodney Clarke (Dodd Group), John Ensell (Mitsubishi Electric), Mark Garstang (Coolair), Neil Gibbard (Coolair), Scott Lydon (Clancy Consulting), David Massey (Core Group Projects), Paul Mawdsley (Coolair), Lee Moores (Coolair), Carl Morphew (BSE3d), Joseph Pavitt (Norman Disney & Young), Lee Rattenbury (Grummant Heating), Craig Scott (GDM Partnership), Simon Seaton-Smith (Couch Perry Wilkes), Ian Webster (Kosco Interiors), Laura Welsh (Coolair) and Carl Wood (AF Connell).
Challenge Cancer UK raises funds for cancer awareness, prevention and research, patient treatment, care and support for those affected by cancer. The charity is based at Manchester Business Park, 3000 Aviator Way, Manchester M22 5TG (www.challengecanceruk.org)
Coolair Equipment Ltd is located at Brookfield Drive in Cannock. Founded in 1980, the company also has offices in Manchester and Maidstone and specialises in providing tailored cooling and heating services to the retail, residential, commercial, education and hotel sectors.
