Staff from Spire Clare Park Hospital are taking part in a charity challenge with the aim of covering 1000km as part of a company-wide initiative to cycle around the world in just one week.

Spire Healthcare, which owns and operates 39 private hospitals across the UK, is staging a week of events with a collective target of cycling 40,000km - the equivalent of the earth's circumference - and raising £40,000 at the same time.

The week has been named 'The Spire to Spire Cycle Challenge 2019' and will take place between Sunday 23rd to Sunday 30th June.

Every hospital is organising its own charity cycle rides - indoors or outdoors - as well as hosting park runs and walks to meet the 1000km targets. To support this, a team of Spire employees, including the CEO Justin Ash and CFO Jitesh Sodha, will be riding a gruelling 333km from Spire's head office in central London to its hospital in Bristol all in one day.

The cyclists will be accompanied by Mark Beaumont, the world-renowned athlete, broadcaster and ambassador who currently holds the world record for cycling the route around the world in 79 days.

As well as Mark, some of our staff members will be taking part in the central 333km ride on behalf of the hospital.

Half of the proceeds raised will be donated to small international charity, THET, who works tirelessly to give developing countries access to affordable and quality healthcare by training healthcare workers. The other half of the proceeds will go to local causes, chosen by each individual hospital.