In memory of Carl Smith – The Ukraine Crisis Appeal run by the Red Cross Society

THANK YOU

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all who supported the Nuvias UC Big Bike 2022 ride for the past few months. From the concept of a small charity cycle, it has grown into an amazing adventure for all involved. 

Firstly, thank you to the amazing team who cycled 100 miles from Newbury to Cwmbran and a special congratulations to the four who managed the return trip the next day.

I would like to recognise Nuvias UC CEO Jeremy O’ Keefe, his enthusiasm and full backing of the notion was vital to the success of the event. Jayne Buchanan and the marketing team were incredible during the whole time we prepared for and then cycled from Newbury to Cwmbran and back - thank you.

A special acknowledgement should go to Mr. Mark Purdom, Nuvias UC COO, he is a remarkable team leader and a brilliant cyclist (annoyingly good). As a team we could constantly rely on Mark’s expertise and guidance when it came to training, nutrition, and mechanics.

I am forever grateful to Michael Spence, Director of Operations at Swift Group for his generosity in providing our team with a support van and professional driver, Garry Warren. Kudos to you Garry for being patient, reliable and cheerful, even when the hour was late and the pace slow.

Furthermore, thank you to Mr. Ned Pattenden (Aligned Communications Ltd) who helped us with press coverage in the Newbury area. 

A massive thank you shout to Mr. Andrew Bissett at DTEN – your donation was an amazing boost to us in our fundraising effort. I am truly moved by your generosity.

Moreover, a big thank you to all Nuvias UC friends, colleagues, vendors and customers – all of you who supported the team; we could not have done it without your kind words, care and donations – having your backup meant a lot to all of us.

Thank you on behalf of the team, Anna 

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UPDATE: 20 June. We made it! In searing heat we cycled the 100 miles to Wales and the 100 miles back. A huge effort by everyone involved! Also a huge thanks to all those who have sponsored us. We have beaten our target and hope to add some more in the coming few days.

We had planned to support three very worthy charities, but in light of recent events our team has unanimously agreed we should be supporting the victims of the war in Ukraine. 

In the future we will return to support charities closer to home but we are all shocked by the events that are taking place and wish to do what we can to show our support for the people of Ukraine.

IN THE BEGINNING... 

Little did I know, when informally chatting with Nuvias UC COO, Mark Purdom, that our brief, ad hoc conversation will turn into something wonderful and significant on a charity front. A simple question on my side, while touching the hobbies’ topic, “should we do some cycling for charity” (I was naively thinking of a relaxing bike ride in a local area) was met with an assured and swift response: “yes, Newbury to Wales and back, set it up”; and that was the birth of Nuvias UC Big Bike 2022.

Owing to the OPEN DOOR policy, the following week I outlined the whole proposal to our CEO, Jeremy Keefe, and was given a “green light” for the event. After several meetings with our marketing director, Jayne Buchanan, chiselling and sharing the plan with our Nuvias UC colleagues, we now have a group of thirteen who will undertake the challenge of cycling (and technical support) between Nuvias UC Newbury and Nuvias UC Cwmbran on 16th June 2022 (with an optional return cycle the following day).

It is a challenge far removed from my initial plan of a light, easy bike trip; it will be a lengthy (100 miles each way), strenuous (hills and more hills), sweaty, and gruelling affair. However, it will be done (never fear) by a group of friends in a memory of a dear Nuvias UC colleague, Carl Smith, a kind and cordial friend who cherished life, hence, this year our chosen charity is about life, life of thousands of Ukrainians that we can help to make less painful during current perilous, traumatic, and tense times. 

The Ukraine Crisis Appeal run by The British Red Cross Society is about:

• Providing food, first aid, clean water, shelter
  support, warm clothing, hygiene parcels and medicines
• Supporting hospitals and healthcare facilities
• Supporting fire fighters and civil protection
  units
• Training people up in life-saving first aid
• Helping families stay in contact with each other

The aforementioned reasons are a key motivations for all of us donning lycra and safety helmets in June, as mentioned here by Mark Purdom:

This ride will be no walk in the park. Two consecutive days of more than 100 miles is going to put a strain on the legs! That said, I'm hoping for good weather and good company and have always maintained that if I expect people to sponsor me, then I have to get well out of my comfort zone.

OUR TEAM:

• Ben Lynch, Account Manger
• Daniel Cranstone, Business Development Manager
• Stephen Davies, Head of IT (technical support for Nuvias UC
  cycling team)
• Steve Dean, Senior Pre-Sales Specialist
• Will Stephens, Business Development Executive
• Scott Gregory, RMA Team Leader
• Richard Ireson, Cloud Sales Specialist
• Mark Purdom, COO, Cloud Solutions Director
• Anna Skolasinska-Barnett, Vendor Operations Specialist

On behalf of our Nuvias UC cycling team, I would like to invite you to  visit, share, and donate to the team’s fundraising page. This means a lot to all of us, and we will be grateful for your support and kind words.  As declared by one of the participants, Alex Brown:

I jumped at the opportunity to take part in this fundraising for this appeal. It’s going to be a real challenge and will test us all, but the experience and the rewards in sponsorship will be worth it.

Let’s make it worth it, thank you, Anna

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