Companies up and down the country are well-versed in the art of the charity 10K run or Tough Mudder challenge. A popular and effective way to raise money, these events are also seen as key team building exercises. But what do you do when your teams work nearly 300 miles apart …?
Earlier this year, the ROSEN Group, a leading provider of cutting-edge integrity solutions, applied its problem-solving skills to this conundrum. The result? A long-distance charity bike ride, which saw participants from the company’s Aberdeen and Newcastle offices face the challenge of cycling from one to the other over the last weekend in June.
In aid of local charity, Charlie House and the North of England Children’s Cancer Research fund (NECCR) – based in Newcastle ten ROSEN colleagues (accompanied by their dedicated support team) donned their cycling gear and headed north from Newcastle via Alnwick, Kelso, Edinburgh and Braemar before arriving in Aberdeen on July 1, via the Dee Valley.
Intrepid team member and ROSEN Aberdeen’s Technical Manager Bryn Roberts commented: “Whilst active in the city for many years, ROSEN’s dedicated Aberdeen office opened in 2018. Whilst we are in constant contact with our colleagues in Newcastle and beyond, rail travel is our usual mode of transport!
“This challenge has allowed us to connect with colleagues on a different level; one which will have a profound impact on our daily business relationships. We were delighted to also have the opportunity to raise funds for two outstanding charities which are crucial to the areas in which we operate.”
Kirsty Walker, Charlie House fundraising co-ordinator, says: “It is wonderful to see such thought go into a corporate team fundraising idea, which ties in two offices at opposite ends of the country. The cycle challenge for both offices is an example of great team-work, collaboration and determination.
“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the ROSEN team for their support and commend them on this physically gruelling challenge. The money raised from this will go on to support babies, children and young people with complex disabilities and life-limiting conditions, and their families, in North-east Scotland.”

The ROSEN Group Cycle Team members as they reach the finishing line in Aberdeen