Richard saddles up for 350km charity cycle

A Fish Insurance colleague is taking on a 350km bike ride from Budapest to Vienna to raise money for a charity which provides support for spinal cord injured people.

Richard Harrison will tackle the Three Capitals Cycle Challenge to help the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) and is hoping reach a target of £1,500.

SIA is the 2016 chosen charity of Fish Insurance, where Richard is a senior management information analyst. His bike ride is one of a series of initiatives the disability insurance specialist is planning this year to fundraise for the charity, which provides key services for spinal cord injured people.

Richard, who has been using early morning and long weekend bike rides to prepare for the challenge, will join around 30 others to cycle along the banks of the river Danube and visit three capital cities; Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna.

The group is a mix of ages and abilities, some of who have spinal cord injuries themselves and will be using hand bikes.

Richard said: “SIA does fantastic work supporting people who have suffered spinal cord injuries, improving their confidence and helping them to rebuild their lives.

“I’ve always enjoyed cycling and when I heard about the Three Capitals Challenge I knew this was how I wanted to get involved. There’s a really mixed bunch of us doing the ride and it won’t just be a physical challenge but a test of teamwork to get to the finish line.

“There will be tough times as the terrain is challenging, but I’m hoping the beautiful scenery and the knowledge that I’m helping such a worthwhile cause will get me through.”

John Garrard, managing director at Fish Insurance, added: “We wanted to appoint a charity of the year for 2016 and we listened to an incredibly inspirational talk by a member of SIA about the charity. It really put into perspective just how easily a spinal cord injury can occur and how it affects every area of your life.

“We provide specialist insurance for people with disabilities and one of our main areas of focus is to offer policies which allow people to lead a full and active life. This is in line with the great work SIA does and we’ve witnessed first-hand just how this kind of support can make a difference to a spinal cord injured person.”

SIA is the leading national user-led charity for spinal cord injured people, with a vision that all people with spinal cord injuries receive the specialist treatment, care, rehabilitation and support they need to be fully integrated and empowered participants in society.

Fish Insurance has been providing specialist insurance for people with pre-existing medical conditions, disabilities or mobility issues in the UK for more than 40 years.

To sponsor Richard, visit his JustGiving page at: www.justgiving.com/rickharrison3ccr