500 Miles Over 5 Days: Orega Prepares For Next Phase Of Charity Cycling Challenge

Published on April 20, 2018 - By Jo Meunier (née Disney)

• For the fifth consecutive year, Orega will take part in the Ride25 long-distance cycling challenge.
• The route covers 506 miles over 5 days and forms part of a long-term goal to cycle from the UK to Australia.
• Orega is fundraising for children’s charity 1moreChild, which provides shelter, healthcare and education.

As the flexible workspace industry grows, so too does its operators’ commitments to charitable giving. While some spaces actively participate in their members’ programs, others commit to long-standing fundraising campaigns for causes close to their hearts.

The extraordinary lengths to which some organizations go to support their chosen charity is indicative of the creativity and commitment that exists within our sector.

Yet sometimes, it’s necessary to take that dedication to new heights in order to make your message heard. Case in point, a team of people from UK serviced office company Orega is taking on a mammoth cycling challenge for Ugandan children’s charity, 1moreChild.

Zach Douglas, MD of Orega (fourth from left), is fundraising for 1moreChild with Team Orega.

The team, which consists of Orega’s Managing Director Zach Douglas alongside Tristan Douglas, Paul Daniels, Tom Leefe, Andrew Waugh and John Williams, will cycle over 500 miles as part of the Ride25 Pioneers Challenge. This is not the first time the team has taken on such a feat; for most of them, this is the fifth consecutive year in which they take to the saddle for a punishing long-distance cycling challenge.

The 2018 Ride25 tour starts in the Greek city of Thessaloniki on Wednesday 23rd May and culminates 5 days and 506 miles later, in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Ride25 began in June 2012 with the ultimate aim of cycling from the UK to Sydney in Australia, split over 25 sections and as many years.

Each year, cyclists complete a different leg of the route. The first 6 legs involved Ride25 ‘Pioneers’ cycling from Parmoor in Buckinghamshire to Thessaloniki in Greece via Paris, Geneva, Milan, Rome and Bari – covering a total of 2,200 miles. 2018 is the seventh of 25 legs.

Each section raises money for 1moreChild – a small charity in Uganda that works to provide children and families with shelter, healthcare, education and mentoring.

So far, the group has raised over £660,000 for 1moreChild and hopes to raise more than £100,000 in 2018 alone. To date, Team Orega has cycled over 1,600 miles and raised more than £70,000 for 1moreChild.

“The reason we love supporting this amazing charity is because 100% of the money raised goes directly towards improving the quality of life for the children of Uganda,” says Orega’s Zach Douglas.

“Our sponsorship and fundraising over the years have allowed 1moreChild to open new homes and support a significant number of children in the area. We are hoping to match or beat last year’s fundraising efforts this year!”

Learn more and support Orega’s campaign for 1moreChild here.

In addition to workspace operators and owners committing to charitable causes, there is now a Foundation that supports charitable organizations through the workspace industry itself.

All Good Work was created in January 2017 to match nonprofit organizations with donated seats in coworking spaces. Backed by workspace operators such as Quest Workspaces, Premier Business Centers, Impact Hub, Knotel, and independent spaces including Grind and The Farm Soho, the Foundation works to connect verified social impact organizations with donated space in workplace hubs, to help them get the support they need to reach their goals.

Social impact ‘residents’ that have been placed in coworking centres by All Good Work include BASE, which develops co-living residences for young adults with learning differences; RiF, which supports refugees and asylum seekers arriving in New York City; and AdaptLab – a team that helps filmmakers with autism and learning differences to work on productions and gain valuable skills for sustainable employment.

In 2017, more than two dozen social impact organizations took up ‘residency’ in coworking spaces via All Good Work. The Foundation is now actively expanding its reach in order to connect more social impact organizations with workspaces across the US.

Meet the All Good Work team after GCUC on Tuesday 24th April 2018. Click here to find out more.