The pair have been in training for the last 3 months in order to meet the challenge head on, and collecting pledges of sponsorship from friends and colleagues.
Brian, 57, has worked for Veolia Environmental Services for over five years and is a valued member of the team who manages the Materials Recovery Facilities at Portsmouth and Alton where the counties’ recyclables are sorted and separated before being reprocessed. Greg, 35, has been with the company for nine years and works as an internal auditor for the Continuous Improvement Department. He conducts internal audits across the South, assisting sites in complying with company procedures. Both Brian and Greg have seen the impact of heart disease on friends and family members and didn’t hesitate to support British Heart Foundation.
The London to Brighton bike ride took place on 21st June and is the UK’s largest charity bike ride with 27,000 people taking part in the 54 mile challenge. The money raised goes to fund vital research into the causes of heart disease and the British Heart Foundation is currently funding more than 1,200 pioneering projects.
Both Brian and Greg think that the British Heart Foundation is a worthy cause and have seen the impact of heart disease on friends and family members. When Ben Slater, Veolia Environmental Services’ Managing Director heard about the fund raising efforts underway he pledged £100 towards the total. Ben said, “When staff lend their free time and work so hard to raise money for a good cause, which affects so many, I’m pleased to support them.”
Brian Appleton said, “Knowing people who have been affected by heart disease made us both all the more determined to complete the 54 mile challenge. I remember how shocked I was when I heard how Alan Ball, my footballing hero, had collapsed and died from a heart attack, and so we have been determined to raise as much money as we can”.
Greg added, “We train really hard and were delighted to see the finish line, we’ve had a lot of fun collecting sponsorship for the British Heart Foundation, and we’d like to say thank you to Veolia and our colleagues for their generous support.”
Greg and Brian raised an excellent £950 for the British Heart Foundation through sponsorship raised from friends, family and staff at Veolia Environmental Services.