Over 2,000 cyclists came together this weekend for the Mitie London Revolution, a 180 mile cycle ride around London.
The route took in iconic London landmarks, scenic back roads, and historic Olympic venues, such as the rowing lake at Eton Dorney and the Herne Hill Velodrome.
The cycle ride was sponsored by the FTSE 250 strategic outsourcing company Mitie, in association with its charity partner for the event, City Gateway, which aims to help unemployed young adults in London, offering training, mentoring and opportunities for apprenticeships.
The partnership, which is part of the Evening Standard’s Ladder for London campaign, reflects Mitie’s continued support in providing people of all backgrounds the opportunities to get into work. As part of the programme, Mitie has taken on 12 apprentices and fundraised over £30,000 towards its £50,000 target for City Gateway.
Over 250 Mitie people took part, either as riders or volunteers, at the event which was organised by Threshold Sports, the sports marketing agency co-founded by double Olympic rowing champion, James Cracknell.
Of all the cyclists who took part in the challenge, 97% crossed the finish line, including former Olympic heptathlete, Kelly Sotherton, who won a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics and gold in the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Between them the Mitie riders cycled over 31,000 miles, a distance that would get them more than once around the world purely through pedal power.
Ruby McGregor-Smith CBE, chief executive of Mitie, said: “The Mitie London Revolution was a great way to connect with social enterprises to create positive change through sport. It has also helped to challenge our employees to think more about their own physical and mental health.
“With one in four young Londoners currently unemployed, charities like City Gateway provide a brilliant start for young people to get the skills they need, as well as helping secure the future of companies like Mitie.”
Mitie employs over 70,000 people in the UK and Europe and recognises the value of health promotion in mitigating both the human and business cost of ill-health. The Mitie London Revolution has formed part of a wider campaign to provide resources and incentives for Mitie people to think more about their individual physical and mental health.
Make sure you register your interest for next year's event to ensure you are first to find out when entries open for 2014. For more information visit www.london-revolution.com
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To help support Mitie’s £50,000 fundraising target for City Gateway, please visit: www.virginmoneygiving.com/mitie
For further information, contact:
Bell Pottinger
Rebecca Lloyd Wright
D: +44 (0)20 7861 2499
E: rlloydwright@bell-pottinger.co.uk
Juliet Chaplin
D: +44 (0)20 7861 2521
E: jchaplin@bell-pottinger.co.uk
About City Gateway
City Gateway was set up in 1999 by a group of city workers involved in local churches to bring hope to the local community of Tower Hamlets who hadn't benefited from the areas wider economic development. City Gateway helps the hardest to reach and most excluded NEET (not in education employment or training) young people and women overcome obstacles such as poor language levels, limited aspirations and low skill levels by connecting with, engaging and training them and providing them with the skills and opportunities to enter into work.
Over 90% of City Gateway apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeships, 14.4% above the national average in 2010-2011. City Gateway run a youth centre, youth training and employment projects, a women's project and children's and families work alongside a number of social enterprises to create work experience and employment opportunities for local people.
www.citygateway.org.uk
About Ladder for London
The Evening Standard and City Gateway’s Ladder for London campaign helps unemployed young adults into work through paid apprenticeships by appealing to companies large, medium and small to take on an apprentice and help get young London, aged 16-24 into work. To date over 200 companies have pledged 627 apprenticeship placements, with the first hundred starting in the first 100 days of the campaign.
www.standard.co.uk/staticpage/londonladder/
About Threshold Sports
Threshold Sports is a thriving sports marketing agency founded by three old friends: James Cracknell, Julian Mack and Charlie Beauchamp. Their first event was Deloitte Ride Across Britain which is entering its 4th year and is recognised as the gold standard in event delivery over the challenging John O’Groats to Land’s End route. They also act as the sports marketing agency for clients such as BP, Nokia, Standard Life and more.
www.thresholdsports.co.uk
For further information please contact:
Hugo Pettit, Marketing Executive, Threshold Sports
D: +44 (0)207 5577 820
E: hugo.pettit@thresholdsports.co.uk
