Rainton Bridge workers go an Eiffel-y long way for charity

The six riders from npower's Rainton Bridge site get ready for the off

Six members of staff from npower's Rainton Bridge offices were among 40 workers who rode the 195 miles from London to Paris in aid of charity partner Macmillan Cancer Support.

Starting at the London Eye, the trip took three days, with the team cycling from London to Newhaven on the first day, and ended in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower.

The npower team at the foot of the Eiffel Tower

Each team member had an individual fundraising target of £400, which they collectively surpassed, reaching £26,500, and with npower match-funding the total pot hit more than £53,000.

Daniel Steer, 33, a senior analyst based at npower’s Rainton office, was among those taking part: "I have been touched by the great work Macmillan do having supported my Granddad in his battle against cancer, and also a close friend of mine who lost her battle against cancer nearly 6 years ago.

"I am so proud to work for a company such as npower who support such a fantastic charity and give their staff the opportunity to give something back.”

Daniel Bennett, 26, a billing assurance analyst from the Rainton site, said: “I've had no better feeling than I did passing the finish line at the Eiffel Tower and seeing a sea of green Macmillan t-shirts.

"Completing nearly 200 very tough miles was fully worth the pain, knowing we’d raised so much money for a charity so close to my heart. The icing on the cake was meeting some great people from across the business and sharing such an amazing experience with them - it’s a trip I will never forget."

Npower head of community Clare McDougall, , who joined the team on their expedition, said: “Our very own ‘tour to France’ was an incredibly tough challenge.

"We all stretched ourselves to the limit but it was worth it for the stunning views from the UK to the French capital and taking in all the amazing scenery in between.

"I am so proud of each and every colleague who took part - we had a mixture of abilities with some people who’d never cycled long distances before and others that were complete professionals, all coming together to raise over £50,000 for Macmillan.”