More than 720 miles cycled. And over £1,200 raised!

Meningitis is a potentially deadly disease that has had a tragic impact on many lives. Here at Page Kirk, we're delighted to have made a difference this year through our support for Meningitis Now – the only charity dedicated to battling the bug in the UK. Our latest success was a weekend static bike challenge at our offices, which lasted a full 24 hours.

It was Friday 26^th October and two exercise bikes mysteriously appeared at the Page Kirk offices in Gregory Boulevard, courtesy of PureGym in Basford. A new fitness kick for staff? Well, in a way, yes. But also an original and highly effective way of raising money for a very worthy cause.

Since the foundation of Page Kirk's charity committee back in January 2018 – where six members of our team volunteered to come up with initiatives to raise cash – we've been supporting Meningitis Now. The charity funds research into vaccines and prevention, while also raising awareness of the dangerous illness, so plays a really important role in combating the illness.

Our earlier events had included dress-down days and an intrepid team participating in the notorious Tough Mudder event. At 10.30 am on Friday 26^th October, we were about to begin a 24-hour bike-riding marathon, which was designed to raise even more money for this worthy cause. The event had, however, taken a lot of advance planning.

How did it all come about?

We were looking to find something that really pushed boundaries and loved the idea of a non-stop cycle ride. The first thing to do was to check out the idea of the static bike challenge with the rest of the Page Kirk team. And we were delighted to discover there was an overwhelmingly positive response.

Unfortunately, it's not actually as easy as you might imagine to get hold of two exercise bikes for a one-off event. We were struggling initially, but thanks to the legendary support of PureGym, we were able to turn our fundraising dream a reality. In fact, their team couldn't do enough to help.

The next stage was to get everyone in training. That meant healthy eating and a regular fitness regime!

The big day itself

First up on the bikes were trainee accountant Steph Gubas and Assistant Manager James Haywood. Then others took turns to do a half-hour stint and we kept the whole process going right around the clock, while it was live streamed on Facebook.

Steph commented:

“I was overwhelmed at how much support we got. It was a great opportunity to raise money for a fantastic charity and I am so happy we all completed it. Now I can't wait for the next one!”

James added:

I must admit, being on the bike first was a daunting task! Realising that I had to give everyone a good start kind of made me nervous but the support we received before and during the day in messages and donations was astounding. It really did spur me on to cycle my best and it is definitely an experience that I'll never forget. Also I would like to thank PureGym for donating copious amounts of protein drinks, needless to say they were required!

The cycling wasn't the only fundraising idea. While the energetic riders pushed themselves on the bikes, we held a bake sale and hosted games including hook-a-duck, buzz-wire and a lucky dip. Board games and quizzes helped keep people going through the round-the-clock challenge and breakfast was donated to ensure everyone was fuelled up.

A special shout out to Ken Kirk, an ex-partner of the firm, who now works as a consultant. He popped in during the evening and did a 30-minute session on the bike, even though he was due to celebrate his 81^st birthday the next day!

And here are the key stats. The team cycled an astonishing 721.85 miles precisely and raised £1,208.41 for charity.

Amanda Willis and Jack Moore

Jack Moore, our Assistant Manager in Audit, admits he didn't realise quite how hard the challenge would prove to be.

“There were many things that got me through,” he says, “including Laura and Imogen's attempts at charades, which took my mind off of my last half an hour. That helped massively at the time! Also the team's overwhelming consensus that six XXL pizzas from Papa John's would be a great idea for a 24 hour bike marathon and watching James, true to his word, sweating literal buckets on the bike alongside me.”

Here are some thoughts from some of the other participants:

Amanda Willis, Head Receptionist:

“After my first half-hour stint, I wish I had prepared for the bike seat. It was very emotional when we completed the challenge as we'd all gone through it together. It was amazing to see how everyone pulled together as a team. I'm very proud in what we have achieved.”

Imogen Spray, Secretary and HR Assistant:

“I had started up yoga about a month before and I feel this helped me prepare. After the 24 hours I felt completely exhausted from the lack of sleep, but I also felt so emotional. We had completed 24 hours as a team and every one of us worked so hard and never gave up. This was what helped me get through it. The main thing that surprised me the most was how much adrenaline kept me awake; not going to sleep for 24 hours was the biggest thing I was worried about!”

Imogen Spray and Tom Leigh

Rebekah Gough, Marketing Manager:

“Myself and Amanda organised the details of the day. Leading up to it, I didn't think of the actual challenge. I was more concerned if the bikes would arrive on time, the technical aspects and the biking timetable. I found the challenge difficult to say the least, but what I didn't expect was how much we would work as a team to get each other through.”

Steph Gubas and Tom Johnson with Dale and Jamie from PureGym who donated the bikes for the challenge

Tom Johnson, Trainee Accountant:

“During the night we decided to play charades to help us through, and towards then end of the challenge we were making up dance routines whilst peddling away. This really helped keep my mind off the cycling!”

Ken Kirk and Laura Stacey cycling late at night

Laura Stacey, Chartered Accountant:

“I was surprised that so many people would willingly give up their time to watch us cycle on the spot via Facebook Live! It really helped with morale. Every time someone new was watching, we would cheer. I will never forget the challenge, for good reasons and bad!”

Amanda Willis and Tom Leigh

Tom Leigh, Trainee - Accounts Department:

“The challenge was much more difficult than what I was expecting. I needed to put more hours on the bike before the challenge to prepare for the pain! The main thing that got me through was that we all stuck together and helped each other.”

Dale Carlin and James McMaster from PureGym kindly came to lend their support while the static bike ride was going on. Reflecting afterwards, they said:

“We were delighted to assist Page Kirk. We always endorse a fit and healthy lifestyle and the chance to raise money and awareness for Meningitis Now is a great motivation. It was great to see the team take on this challenge and dig deep within themselves to see what they can achieve.”

Meningitis: always be alert

Of course, the serious side of the event was the fact that our chosen charity – Meningitis Now – is leading the fight against a highly dangerous disease. Trust your instincts and if you feel there's any danger that a family member of friend might have the symptoms, seek medical help immediately. You should watch out for headaches, vomiting, dislike of bright lights, drowsiness and fever. Don't wait for a rash to appear.

It's estimated that 22 people in the UK will contract viral or bacterial meningitis every single day. The illness causes an inflammation of the membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. 10% of those who contract bacterial meningitis will die.

Who's most at risk?

Meningitis – and septicaemia (blood poisoning that can be a complication of the disease) – can affect anyone. It's especially important to watch infants under the age of one and young kids up until the age of five. Another high-risk group would be teenagers and young adults. Cases become more likely again when people get older – aged 55 and above.

For more information on meningitis, please visit www.MeningitisNow.org or call their freephone helpline on 0808 80 10 388.

Helping Meningitis Now

Beth Bottrill, Fundraising Director at Meningitis Now, said:

“We're so grateful to everyone at Page Kirk for holding this static bike challenge and all their efforts to support our work and to fight back against this deadly disease.

“As a charity that receives no Government funding we rely entirely on the generosity, energy and initiative of our supporters to raise the vital funds we need to carry out our lifesaving and life-changing work.

“Their efforts will make a real difference to those who are at risk from meningitis and those whose lives have already been changed forever because of it.”

Meningitis Now fights the disease on all fronts:

• Providing a powerful, united voice for people fighting meningitis.
• Saving lives by funding vaccine and preventative research.
• Reducing the disease's impact through awareness.
• Rebuilding futures with dedicated support.
• Fundraising to deliver plans.

Thank you to everyone that made the challenge possible and a huge thank you to everyone that supported the team and everyone that donated.

If you haven't already donated and would like to make a contribution, simply visit the link below:

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=PageKirk&pageUrl=1

After the cycle team had complete the 24 hour challenge