- Colleagues jointly completed the run, swim and cycle to raise money for hospices that supported for fellow employees and their families
- Triathlon challenge and pub quiz raised £5,000 for St Peter’s Hospice and North Devon Hospice
Colleagues at AXA UK’s Bristol branch ran, swam and cycled the equivalent of a triathlon on Thursday (19 June) to raise money for two local hospices.
Twenty employees at the regional commercial branch jointly completed the challenge of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run in aid of St Peter’s Hospice and North Devon Hospice. The epic fundraising effort was staged in memory of former colleagues Sean Macauley and Lynn O'Regan who lost their lives to cancer in the past year and were cared for by the hospices.
The run took place on the downs close to the AXA UK office while the local public pool provided the venue for the swim. For the bike ride, Blackboy Hill Cycles provided new cycles that were connected to static indoor trainers in the office reception so the distance travelled could be measured.
Sean’s widow Sarah and Lynn’s widow and son Mark and Sam were at the AXA UK office throughout to offer encouragement, and the day ended with a hotly contested fund-raising quiz at the Beehive pub plus a raffle, which all added to the total raised of £5,000.
As a close-knit team we have really felt these losses and wanted to do something together to create a little positivity. We decided to focus on a fundraiser after finding out lots about Sean that we didn’t know at his funeral, including that he had completed an Iron Man triathlon.
We have a great local broker network and they’ve been so supportive throughout, with some joining us in the challenge and others forming teams for the quiz. We’re delighted to have raised so much for the hospices in Sean and Lynn’s memory and are grateful to everyone who donated provided prizes or got involved in some way. We have a fantastic regional market of great people – that’s what it’s all about.
