A Nantwich accountant is totting up the proceeds after completing a gruelling cycling marathon to raise money for a children’s toy appeal.
Peter O’malley, a director at Afford Bond, was part of a team who completed the Giro D’Italia conquering a gruelling 2,300 miles across Italy with steep climbs, adverse weather and sickness along the way.
To date their effort has raised £50,000 for The Toy Appeal and more monies are rolling in.
Peter, a keen triathlete for 25 years, said: “The Giro D’Italia is a cycling challenge of a lifetime and it put us all to the test.
“It’s completed in 21 stages and overall we cycled some 3,500 kilometres at an average of 164km per day and climbed approximately 51,000 metres.
“On one day we completed a climb 16 times higher than the Eiffel Tower.
“As a team we faced every possible condition on and off the road including extreme heat and exhaustion.
“Twenty three days later we passed the finish line in Rome, massively relieved to have raised a substantial sum to make Christmas better for many children across the region.”
The charity, which operates across the North West, makes Christmas Day special for thousands of children living in poverty, providing them with a sack of toys.
Peter and his team mates, who come from across the UK, wanted every penny to go to the appeal so self-funded the trip and took a month away from work and their families.
Friends and clients of Afford Bond’s offices in Nantwich and Wilmslow, got behind the fundraising.
The firm also supported by offering a top-of-the range BMC Teammachine SLR One bike as a competition draw prize which looks set to add another £6,600 to the fundraising total.
Peter, a Chartered Accountant for over 25 years, added: “Community is a huge part of Afford Bond’s everyday activities and we look to support the North West business and wider community whenever possible.
“We’re delighted with the generosity of friends and clients who got behind us in the Giro D’Italia. Their support is still being received.
“So far, we have raised over £50,000 which will make a big difference to children across the region this Christmas.”
Also taking part was Afford Bond client Guy Wolstencroft, an audiologist running Hearing Solutions based on the Isle of Man.
He said: “As a group we worked tirelessly together and ascended the equivalent of cycling the height of Mount Everest over six times – in the most extreme weather conditions. An experience none of us will forget.”
Now the cycling pals are planning to put their pedal power behind another charity challenge next year – the Tour De France.
Meanwhile Peter has a Just Giving page open for The Toy Appeal. Go to justgiving.com/page/peter-omalley
For more on Afford Bond, founded in Nantwich in the 1920s, go to affordbond.co.uk
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