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Cyclists Ride from Paris to Milan to Raise £350,000 for the World’s Children

17 Sep 2012 12:20 GMT

A team of sixty cyclists from Barclays UK Legal and Compliance, and their corporate partners, have completed a gruelling 600km ride from Paris to Milan, raising £350,000 for UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organisation.

The route took nine days to complete and started on the streets of Paris before taking riders through the rolling hills of Dijon, and up over the Alps, before finishing in Milan.

Each rider was on the road for up to ten hours a day, with forty of the cyclists opting to tackle the Col du Mont Cenis, one of the most famous Alpine passes. The challenging detour involved nearly 10km of climbing, including an ascent of 682m and an uphill gradient of eleven per cent.

The money raised through the challenge, called Wheels for Change, will enable UNICEF to support some of the world’s most vulnerable children and help transform children’s lives at many different stages. Vaccinations will protect babies from an early age; improved access to education will reduce the number of girls missing out on school; and training for young people will equip them with skills for the workplace.

Shane Hawkins, Chief of Staff for Barclays Legal & Compliance, who leads the organisation of the event, said:

“Wheels for Change has been a huge success, half a million children benefitted from life saving vaccinations as a result of last year’s ride, and we are thrilled to have achieved an even bigger total this year by taking on the challenge of the Alps.

“I’d like to thank all our colleagues and partners who put in many hours of hard work, both in training and completing the race, and in raising so much money for UNICEF. Wheels for Change is just one way that Barclays is contributing to wider interests of society and is something we can all feel proud of.”

Victoria Lindop, Head of Corporate Fundraising at UNICEF said “All the cyclists who have taken part in this gruelling Wheels for Change challenge should be really proud. Not only have they completed one of the toughest cycle routes across Europe, but they have also put thousands of children on the road to a brighter future, thanks to all the money they've raised for UNICEF.”

This is the second time that Wheels for Change has taken place in aid of UNICEF. Last year cyclists rode from Edinburgh to London raising nearly £300,000 for UNICEF’s measles immunisation work across Africa.

Notes to Editors:

Wheels for Change:

Wheels for Change 2012 is the second charity fund raising cycling event run by the Barclays Legal & Compliance team and their corporate partners to raise funds for UNICEF. This year’s event has been supported by Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, British Airways, Nuffield Health, Garmin, HRG, Dare and Hilton Milan.

Further information on Wheels For Change including how to donate are available here. http://wheelsforchange.co.uk/

Pictures are also available on request by contacting the Barclays Press Office.

About UNICEF:

UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights in more than 190 countries. As champion of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF works to help every child realise their full potential. Together with partners, UNICEF delivers health care, nutrition, education and protection to children in urgent need, while working with governments to ensure they deliver on their promise to protect and promote the rights of every child. UNICEF relies entirely on voluntary donations from individuals, governments, institutions and corporations, and is not funded by the UN budget.

For more information, please visit www.unicef.org.uk


About Barclays

Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in personal banking, credit cards, corporate and investment banking and wealth and investment management with an extensive international presence in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. Barclays’ purpose is to help people achieve their ambitions – in the right way.

With over 300 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 50 countries and employs approximately 140,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.barclays.com.