All that pedalling is worth it

It seems hotel and inn staff just can’t keep off their bikes for Hospitality Action. The end of June saw cyclists gather at Lainston House for the annual Summer Cycle Challenge, taking on routes through the stunning Hampshire countryside in support of the charity.

An amazing £45,000 has been raised so far, courtesy of the riders and sponsors including Agilysys and Geo Tracks. The team at Lainston House were great hosts, as were the pit stop partners The Pig Hotel, Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa, The Boot Inn Houghton and John O’Gaunt Inn. We hope they found a bit of shade and breeze along the way.

At the start of June hospitality professionals, including a strong team of wine trade and hospitality cyclists led by Mark Calver and Aaron Turner, set off on a fundraising effort supporting Hospitality Action, taking on their toughest challenge yet: a demanding 200km ride through the rolling hills of Champagne.

Through a JustGiving campaign, online auction and raffle, over £40,000 was raised on the Bike to Care ride to help hospitality people facing illness, homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges.

Mark Calver, commercial director at Hatch Mansfield and a Hospitality Action ambassador say: “When you can help raise money for people facing difficult times, while surrounded by people you genuinely enjoy being with, it puts a lot into perspective. Being able to make a difference to someone else’s life is incredibly rewarding and sharing that experience with such a fantastic group makes it even more special.”

Putting the bikes away, Hospitality Action’s Walk for Wellbeing returns in October. Each 10km or 20km hosted walk is held in a key UK location: Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Hampshire, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Suffolk. But if you can’t join in person we know many housekeepers take part in ‘Walk It Your Way’, which lets you participate anytime, any location, between 9 and 25 October.