Staff invest time and raise £12,800 for children’s charity

A 95KM triathlon-style challenge raised £12,862 for a charity which supports seriously ill children.

A team of 17 staff members at Invesco, the Henley asset management firm, was raising money for the Rainbow Trust children’s charity.

They ran a salary sacrifice campaign and other events, including bake sales, to reach their fundraising target of £200,000 during their two-year partnership with the charity.

This has enabled it to recruit two new family support workers to help families living with a child with a life-limiting illness in the Thames Valley and London.

The first leg of the challenge, a 9km canoe along the River Thames, returned this year after being cancelled last year due to challenging river conditions.

Staff then cycled 70km before running 16km, which was extended by 5km due to the London office’s move from Marylebone to the City of Westminster.

Ellen de Montfalcon, 24, who lives in Henley and has worked as an associate analyst for two years, took part in the challenge for a second time.

She said: “It was a really big challenge for me to take on last year because I couldn’t even run 5km without having to stop multiple times and being out of breath. It was a good challenge to see if I could improve my own personal fitness, proving to myself that I could do more than I thought I could.

“This time around, a lot of us trained together, which was quite fun. It’s a really great way to meet other people across the business and do something that isn’t work-related.”

Ms de Montfalcon’s team beat former Olympians. She said: “One of the people on my team was ex-military so they were pretty competitive but they made a brilliant team-mate because I definitely wouldn’t have had the motivation to keep going without them.

“It was nice to beat Olympians in a fitness challenge, even though it’s not necessarily a race but people get quite competitive during the friendly competition.”

Daniel Andrews, 51, who lives in St Andrew’s Road in Henley, has worked as the head of sales account management and marketing insights for more than nine years.

He said: “I used to do lots of sport when I was younger but I’ve got a young family so it’s hard to keep on top of that sort of stuff.

“The run was the longest I have done for the best part of 20 years so, for me, it’s an extra motivation to do something because it’s really easy not to do anything.”

He found solace in the teamwork aspect during the run. He said: “If you were doing it on your own, it’s quite solitary and difficult as you’ve got mental gremlins to deal with, on top of things that start to get painful but running in a group gives you a real lift.”

Mr Andrews saw the challenge as a shared experience among colleagues. He said: “It’s not just that it’s philanthropic, which is important, and it’s not just us giving time and putting training in but it’s that it’s fully supported by our employer — it’s an incentive and encouraging to do something good for yourself and others.”

Claire Myers, director of corporate responsibility, said: “We are extremely proud to know that our efforts will make a tangible difference to families who need it most. The partnership with Rainbow Trust reflects our commitment to supporting causes that matter, and this achievement is a testament to the dedication and generosity of our people.”