Russell WBHO supports NWCH fundraiser

Aiming to raise money for the We Love Manchester charity, the event was organised by ISG and also involved teams from Warden, Morgan Sindall, Sir Robert McAlpine, Manchester City Council and the North West Construction Hub.

Each organisation entered a team to ride the world-class Commonwealth Games track at the National Cycling Centre in return for a charitable donation.

The teams were then challenged to complete as many circuits as they could within a one hour time slot. Despite being competitors off the track, the teams had to work together while sharing the track and ensure each rider was able to perform at their best, as an exercise in collaborative working.

The Russell WBHO team comprised Head of Building Services Gary Gardner, Design Manager Tom Basten, Assistant Package Manager Nathan Gollins and Senior Surveyor Mark Kenyon, cheered on by Commercial Director Nick Sunderland and NWCH Framework Manager Harry Basra.

The four lucky riders secured their slot after their names were selected at random from a list of volunteers. Gary Gardner was delighted to be picked, he said: “The velodrome is an exciting place to be, it was a really great opportunity and I feel very lucky to be chosen. My experience of cycling is limited to the gym, so this was quite a challenge, but I loved it. The embankments are really steep and you’re on a fixed wheel bike with no breaks, you quicky realise the faster you go the safer you are, especially on those bends.”

Although there was no official competitive element, the Russell WBHO team timed their  laps to test themselves on the word famous track, with Tom Basten just edging the win.

“With 16 people on the track there was a bit of traffic, but the idea was to work together and help each other round. Having said that, we couldn’t pass up the chance to do a few flying laps and see just how fast we could go. It was great fun!” Gary added.

The event was hosted by the North West Construction Hub for members of its High Value Framework, as part of its commitment to social value and collaborative working. It was organised by the team from ISG which has recently completed refurbishment of the National Cycle Centre, a contract which was procured via the North West Construction Hub.

Rachel Duke, NWCH Framework Manager said: “A huge thank you to all involved in the recent charity cycle event, this event shows the true value of collaborative working across NWCH framework to bring added value and social impact across communities. As a framework we strive to deliver social value above and beyond, ensuring that it makes a huge difference to support young people who need it the most.”

To date, the event has raised over £2,600 which includes a donation from Manchester City Council’s small works framework partner, PLP Construction. ISG is match funding this, bringing the total to over £5,200, and further donations can be made on the Just Giving page.