Intrepid Banbury trekkers take on Land's End to John O'Groats virtual challenge

Tibbetts sales director Phil Havercroft and partner Jan Hooper take on a tandem bike-ride challenge of 55 miles for the SpecialEffect fundraising effort

The Tibbetts Trekkers had planned a 27 miles canal walk from Banbury to Oxford in May but the coronavirus emergency put paid to their plan.

Instead they directed their efforts virtual and walked, ran, cycled and even tandem-rode the 874 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats, raising essential funds for SpecialEffect - a company providing life-transforming technology that allows the severely disabled and vulnerable to enjoy the world of gaming.

The 28 Tibbetts Trekkers set a target of £5,000 which they smashed, realising £6,525. The personnel came from Tibbetts HQ and TGL in Beaumont Road, Banbury along with colleagues from offices in Stokenchurch and Shrewsbury.

Phil Havercroft and partner Jan Hooper and their bicycle made for two

"Each person participating set themselves a personal challenge of at least 25 miles. We recorded our mileage from runs, bike-rides and walking and we held weekly video meetings to keep up the momentum, recording our miles online to monitor where we were and how many miles we had left," said the company's Claire Connor.

Organiser, Tibbetts managing director Jonathan Tibbetts said: "Covid-19 has already taken too much, so as a company we wanted to ensure we still came together virtually for a great cause. We’re tracked our miles and as a team, kept each other motivated in meeting our target of 874 (or more) miles and ultimately honouring our promise to raise £5000 for our Charity of the Year.”

Tibbetts have previously climbed Mount Snowden and taken on the London to Brighton Bike Ride for local charities including Katharine House Hospice and Dogs for Good.

Donations are still welcome on the Tibbetts Trekkers’ JustGiving page here.