INEOS staff cycle miles for tiny hearts

Tiny Tickers has received a donation of £1,000 from INEOS O&P UK Team #3. Tiny Tickers was selected following the suggestion from one of the team riders, whose personal fundraising was founded on a close friend’s involvement with the charity. He said, “A good friend’s unborn baby was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and underwent open heart surgery at just seven weeks old. He was very lucky his daughter’s heart defect was detected early. Many families are not as fortunate and go home from hospital after the birth without knowing their baby is in critical danger. Tiny Tickers, a heart charity, is changing that.”

Grant Scott, team captain said, “This year we were keen to get as many people out on the road as possible. Inspired by the Group ride to Culross with the INEOS Grenadiers in May, we set up the Grangemouth Grenadiers Cycle Club (GGCC) for all employees taking part in the challenge. There were two weekly group rides available, Wednesday’s group was focused on those who hadn’t ridden in a group before and would like to grow in confidence riding on the road; and Thursday’s was for those cyclists with more experience.”

The INEOS team with Tiny Tickers’ Head of Fundraising and Communications, Katie Lawson.

The GGCC ran every week during the Tour de France challenge with rides to the Helix Park, Skinflats and further afield to Stirling Castle and Knockhill. Whilst the majority of the team took to the cycle paths and roads, one keen cyclist, Jaki Wilson, managed an impressive personal tally of 767km of the HQ Gym bikes.

Katie Lawson, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Tiny Tickers said, “We are absolutely delighted that INEOS employees in Grangemouth have chosen our tiny charity to benefit from their support. We know it’s a personal cause to some of the staff and we’re so grateful that we have been able to raise awareness of just how common congenital heart defects are. With the fantastic support of the INEOS cyclists we will be able to continue doing all that we can to help babies with congenital heart defects, their families, and the health professionals who look after them.”

To conclude, Grant adds, “The Tour de France charity challenge created a great buzz around the office, hearing stories of those who dusted off their bike or commuted to work for the first time. It was great to have so many people enthusiastic about the charity challenge, ensuring their team completed the daily distance target as well as competing against fellow teammates and the INEOS Grenadiers!”