Coventry to Land’s End Conquered

Tour de Friends - £7,000 Raised for Charity

(From left to right) Niki Stinson, Louise Breen, Andy Lenton, Steve Caclott, Grace Breen and Kieran Breen

A group of six friends have conquered a 300 mile challenge from Coventry to Land's End and raised more than £7,000 for charity.

The group set off from War Memorial Park and battled the elements during a 48-hour run and cycle relay before arriving at the finish line at Land's End in Cornwall.

The challenge, titled 'Tour de Friends', was organised by Coventry personal trainer Niki Stinson and friend Sally Skidmore, and has so far raised in excess of £7,000 for local charities Myton Hospice and children's cancer charity Bethany's Wish.

Coventry law firm Band Hatton Button and utilities and energy consultants Utility Team also gave their backing as corporate sponsors and donated £500 each to the cause.

Niki said: "We knew it was going to be a difficult challenge and although we had taken part in training before the event, nothing could prepare us for the weather and the hills in Cornwall.

"It was quite horrendous for a lot of the weekend so I am really proud of the team for persevering and for finishing the challenge.

"It was such an amazing feeling to reach the finish line and we all got quite emotional. We are really pleased to have raised such a substantial amount of money for two fantastic local causes and would like to thank those who donated and our corporate sponsors for their support.

"Donations can still be made on our Virgin Money Giving page and we are arranging a quiz night and further raffle, as we have lots of prizes due to the generosity of many people

"We are also really grateful to the support team who followed us every step of the way. We couldn't have done it without them and can't thank them enough for helping have bikes and kit ready for us and for keeping the morale high."

Julie Calcott, partner at Band Hatton Button in Warwick Road, was a member of the support team and watched her husband Steve complete the challenge.

Julie said: "It was an amazing event to be a part of, although I was quite glad to be a member of the support team and not part of the challenge team, especially going over Dartmoor in the dark!

"What they have achieved is fantastic and both myself and the rest of the team at Band Hatton Button are really proud of them.

"As a firm we have been raising money for Myton Hospice for a number of years so when we found out about the challenge we jumped at the chance to support the team."

Grace Breen is business manager at Utility Team in Herald Avenue and also took part in the challenge.

"I think a lot of us were nervous going into the challenge but we all supported each other and that really helped us to push through to the end," she said.

"We were all tired but it was definitely worth it to reach the finish line and realise what we had achieved. We are delighted to be able to handover more than £7,000 to Myton Hospice and Bethany's Wish and hope that it can benefit those in contact with the charities."

To donate money to support Tour de Friends please visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/TourdeFriendstoLandsEnd