Barnsley based Rehau fabricator, Euroglaze, has re-ignited its fundraising campaign for Retina UK, with managing director, Martin Nettleton, challenging the company’s bank, Barclays, to a virtual 1,000km bike ride. Barclays will match the sponsorship money raised.
Having completed 5,000 virtual miles during 2020 on his turbo trainer at home, Martin says he is confident that he can set an impressive pace for his friendly bank manager, Daniel Firth, to match.
The virtual challenge replaces the Prudential Ride100 which Martin and his tandem ride partner, Andrew Oates, were scheduled to take part in during August, following much of the 2012 Olympic road race course.
It is all part of Euroglaze’s 40th anniversary charity campaign supporting Retina UK, which helps to fund research for all eye diseases like the one that caused both Martin and his brother, Simon, to gradually lose their sight.
With a mix of raffles, fun days, cake sales and even a virtual John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge, the Euroglaze team had already raised more than £6,000 when the first lockdown hit, but are now said to be ‘more focused than ever’ on trying to reach the original £10,000 target.
Martin Nettleton said: “These lockdowns have hit all charities hard, but particularly the smaller, lesser known ones like Retina UK, which rely so much on fundraising from cancelled events like bike rides and marathons. Obviously, Retina UK is close to my heart, but there’s an extra urgency around their work at the moment because a brand-new gene therapy has just been approved for use on the NHS which finally offers hope to patients with one particular kind of Retinitis pigmentosa which causes inherited sight loss.
“In terms of treatment, this is the most significant breakthrough that has taken place in my lifetime and Retina UK is hopeful that it will lead to further pioneering therapies being discovered which will also benefit people like me. I’m doing my bit to help and am incredibly grateful to everyone – and especially our bank manager Daniel – who is supporting these fundraising efforts.”
To sponsor Martin and maximise the amount Barclays has to pay out in matched funding, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/daniel-firth4
