Fundraising for Marie Curie

Offering parental advice to his son, Albert Einstein once wrote “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” This life advice held meaning for the Fleming Homes team who enjoyed maintaining their balance by getting some exercise as a team while fundraising for Marie Curie. We kept moving for 24 hours from 12 Noon on Thursday 18 August through to Friday 19 on two (and occasionally three) stationary bikes on loan from Putton Mill Fitness Centre (thank you Bruce and Jennifer!)

Our 24-hour cycle challenge was conceived to support the Berwickshire Action Group for Marie Curie who had planned a week of Ride, Hike, and Bike events. Nineteen members of staff and some additional family members signed up to fill ninety-six half-hour slots, including three generations of the Martin family. When we set out to fundraise, we truly had no idea we would have so much fun along the way.

What surprised us the most was the sheer volume of support that would wrap around us like a cosy warm jumper. Our long-standing and trusted suppliers made exceedingly generous donations for which we are extremely grateful. Local businesses turned out to put in a shift on our third bike. Duns’ cafes delivered boxes of delicious supplies to keep the wheels turning through the night. Cars, trucks, and lorries stopped constantly to make cash donations. And we are grateful to all our personal friends, past and current customers, and families who donated online, especially at a time when inflation is climbing, and everyone is feeling the pinch. It felt amazing to pass our fundraising goal of £2000 and even more so to reach a tremendous total of £6,301.

One of our riders, David Hutchison (aka “Hutch”) said “it was a hugely demanding, yet brilliantly rewarding challenge. I was one of the poor souls on the night shift; however, the support we received from the local community, even during the unsociable hours, was amazing. The atmosphere throughout the final 4 hours of the event was electric, with the team all keeping each other going and taking their turn to keep the wheels turning. Knowing that our efforts helped to raise such a fantastic total for such a worthwhile cause makes me very proud to be part of the Fleming Homes team!”

In addition to giving support to Marie Curie, who do incredible work to support people nearing the end of their life, fundraising definitely made us feel good as a team. We were happier, more connected, and all a little bit healthier as a result of the exercise over the two days of our challenge and arguable, beyond. Those 96-half-hour cycling slots crammed into 24 hours and delivered together enabled us to achieve something brilliant as a team. In short, fundraising was fun!

Thank you so much to everyone who got behind us to help make a difference for Marie Curie including Adamson Doors, ADW, Aitken-Walker, ARC Construction, Border Baguettes, Christie Gillespie, Cohorts By Design, DCE, Digi-Geeks, EcoSaftey, Hawthorn Business Group, Hungry Spot Bakery, James Donaldson Insulation, MacLean Eggs, MGM Timber, the team at P D Hook, Sidey, and Skeldon’s Transport.