James Brown, from the Southampton office of accountancy and business advisory firm BDO LLP, has raised £1,974.39 for Wessex Heartbeat’s High 5 Appeal, following a gruelling 10 day bike ride from Bristol to Barcelona.
He was motivated by his gratitude towards the charity because his brother and sister underwent major surgery in the Wessex Cardiac Centre when he was younger, and his parents stayed in Wessex Heartbeat’s Heartbeat House.
James set out with colleagues from the firm’s Bristol office, and cycled to Portsmouth to catch a ferry across the English Channel to Caen. Ten days and 1,000 miles later, having cycled through France and crossed the Pyrenees on the east of the border with Spain, the team arrived at the finish line in Barcelona.
James said: “This certainly wasn’t an ‘easy ride’, but it was a great challenge, and I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve got from friends, family and colleagues and to BDO for allowing me six days’ extra leave to take it on. The HIGH 5 Appeal is such a brilliant cause. I set myself a target to raise £1000, so it’s really fantastic that with everyone’s help I’ve been able to smash that.”
He continues, “I know from the experiences of my brother and sister that the money is going to make a real difference to young people with heart conditions when they need it most.”
Malcolm Thixton, lead partner at BDO’s Southampton office, reiterated the firm’s commitment to doing something positive for the local community, “Wessex Heartbeat is one of the premier charities in the region, and heart disease is something that sadly is highly likely to touch our company through our employees and their families. We’re proud to support James and this charity, which is so dedicated to further improving the already excellent cardiac care provided in Southampton.”
