Sodexo staff participate in charity bike ride

For the third year running, the charity event was organised by Graham Heffer, Sodexo's general services manager at Queen Anne's School in Reading. A total of 15 people took part in the fundraiser, including Sodexo managers from the region and a teacher from Queen Anne's School. As part of Heffer's preparation for the ride, he spent eight hours putting up and then taking down road signs at every junction on the route. The ride started at Magdalen College School in Oxford and ended at Queen Anne's School in Reading, mainly using B roads through the scenic countryside. Most of the contenders finished the ride in four hours, with the quickest completing the challenge in three hours 15 minutes and the slowest coming in at four and a half hours. After the event, the riders and their supporters enjoyed a celebratory BBQ at the school. The money raised will go to projects that help to educate people about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles, provide food to those in need, and offer basic life skills training such as basic cooking and food hygiene. Heffer said: "This year's charity bike ride was a great success and there wasn't a single puncture to contend with. Everyone who took part expressed their enjoyment of the challenge and as the ride itself is pretty tough going, it really is a great achievement. I am delighted that we have raised £1,000 for Sodexo's STOP Hunger campaign and my aim is to get 100 cyclists involved in the challenge next year." The STOP Hunger campaign raises money to tackle poor nutrition and hunger in local communities.