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21st May 2010

Petplan rides to Paris for Charity

Petplan employees, Corrine Kristoff and Matt Sworder took to the roads for the first ever ‘Guilford to Paris’ Allianz bike ride to help raise money for Help the Hospices.

Staff from several divisions across Allianz, one of the UK’s largest insurers, came together and took part in the charity bike ride which challenged them to travel 210 miles on push bikes.

In the first of its kind for the company, Allianz assembled an eager team of 20 cyclists who headed off from Guilford Head Office on 7th of May. They cycled 47, relatively hilly miles, down to Portsmouth, and caught the early afternoon ferry to Caen, France. The second, and by far the longest day, saw the team travel through some of France’s beautiful countrysides, covering approximately 85 miles on route to Evereux. The final day proved the biggest challenge, with the team setting off for Paris, fighting through sore and tired muscles to complete 71 miles before arriving at the finish line, the Eiffel Tower.

Valerie Robinson, Community Affairs Advisor of Allianz Insurance said, “The first Guildford to Paris bike ride was a fantastic experience for all those involved. It was a fun and enjoyable event and a great achievement for all those who took part. Despite one trip to the hospital and a few injuries along the way, everyone made it to the finish at the Eiffel Tower. The group of 20 cyclists, plus the support team of three, have so far raised over £10,000 for Help the Hospices. We hope this will be the first of many such trips and we are already thinking about a similar event for next year.”

“It was a great trip!” said Corrine, “a lot harder than we ever expected, there were several occasions when I thought I had possibly bitten off more than I could chew, but we all rose to the challenge and completed the ride. It was amazing!” Matt continues, “It was a lot of fun, and great to be part of the team. Although it was very tiring in places, knowing that the money is going towards such a worthy cause was an inspiration to continue.”

This is one of several events being organised by Allianz UK on behalf of its selected 2010 charity partner, Help the Hospices, which aims to provide the best possible care to those approaching the end of their lives and includes support of the palliative care professionals crucial to achieving this objective.

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