Staff at Spire Leeds Hospital cycle 1,000km for charities

Spire Healthcare, which owns and operates 39 private hospitals across the UK, is staging a week of events with a collective target of cycling 40,000km – the equivalent of the earth’s circumference – and raising £40,000 at the same time.

The Spire to Spire Cycle Challenge 2019 started on June 23 and will run until June 30.

Each hospital has organised its own cycle rides - indoors or outdoors - and will be hosting park runs and walks to meet the 1,000km targets. Staff at Spire Leeds Hospital have been cycling on a static bike in a communal area inside the hospital. Others have been cycling into work throughout the week and some have taken part in organised walks around the hospital grounds.

Half of the proceeds raised will be donated to small international charity, THET, which works to give developing countries access to affordable and quality healthcare by training healthcare workers. The other half will go to local causes, chosen by each individual hospital. Spire Leeds Hospital is raising money for Leeds Mind, a mental health charity that promotes positive mental health and wellbeing and provides help, support and services across the Leeds area.

Suzanne Wynne-Jones, business development manager at Leeds, said: “We are delighted to be able to work together with colleagues throughout Spire to raise funds for charity. At Spire Leeds Hospital, we have strong links with our local community and giving back to charitable causes is incredibly important to all of our staff. We are extremely proud to support Leeds Mind, a fantastic local charity, chosen by the staff, which provides help and support to those who need it right across the Leeds area. With one in four people likely to experience mental health difficulties at some point in their lives, Leeds Mind provides a vital lifeline encouraging people to talk about mental health, to ask for help and not to suffer in silence.”

To find out more or to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/spiretospirechallenge2019.