A fundraising team of seven from across Commercial has announced they will be cycling 500 miles in five days in a bid to raise £25,000 for the charity Versus Arthritis. They will start cycling from Commercial’s head office in Cheltenham on Saturday 8 June to the company’s Leeds office, then on to the London office to finish back in Cheltenham on Wednesday 12 June.

Versus Arthritis is a community of volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers and friends that provides support for people living with arthritis across the UK. It supports world-class research and breakthrough treatments.

Commercial has a special reason for choosing Versus Arthritis: Aaron George joined Commercial through the Commercial Foundation No Limits programme, and has had the debilitating condition for many years. A keen sportsman, and once a promising young footballer, his life has changed course many times as a result of arthritis. Today, following numerous operations, he continues to battle both the mental and physical effects of the disease.

“We’re very proud of the team, and of the initiative, which was launched by our Change Champions across the business,” explains Simone Hindmarch, Co-founder and Managing Director. “The Change Champions team delivers projects that engage and motivate the wider Commercial team in social sustainability as well as green issues.

“None of the team of seven – Mark Hallett, Liam Dutson, Alan Martin, Kevin Ablett, Andrew McKenzie, Mark Butchers and Lee Williams – has cycled such a distance before. They are knuckling down to an intensive training programme and have already received significant interest from customers and suppliers who would like to support them to reach their £25,000 target.”