You may have been keeping up with our previous blog posts and social media updates about my involvement in the Master Innholders 329 mile cycle challenge from London to Reims in France. All now complete, we've learnt that the team has raised an astonishing £29,599 for the WCI Charitable Foundation, with more donations still coming through.
The event started from the Innholders Hall in London on 11 September at 6.30pm when we made our way to Portsmouth to catch the overnight ferry to Caen, France. On the second day, we headed east to Beauvais where we stayed overnight and arrived in Reims, in the Champagne region on day three.
We were then showered in Champagne courtesy of Taittinger before sitting down to a celebratory dinner.
Master Innholder Andrew Stembridge, managing director of Chewton Glen and Cliveden House, organised the event. In a recent press release he stated:
“It was wonderful to be part of this amazing adventure, which was conceived at Innholders' Hall exactly a year ago. With the moral support of the WCI, the financial support of Champagne Taittinger and seamless logistics of Cycle Tours UK, the trip was a great success on many levels, raising funds to contribute to the WCI's Quincentennial Fund. The 18-strong group was a lively and energetic collection of hoteliers, many of whom have benefited from the WCI's support in the past in the form of scholarships. With the odd wrong turn, 530 kilometres were covered in total, taking a suitably undulating route first to Portsmouth and then from Caen to Reims.
Although each of the three days had its own particular challenges, day two stood out due to torrential and relentless rain throughout the day. A strong head wind and steep hills dominated the final day; however, any aches and ailments were soon forgotten as we were welcomed in style to Taittinger in a very civilised fashion. The team spirit throughout was outstanding and the grit and determination demonstrated by some of the less regular cyclists was impressive.”
The WCI Charitable Foundation supports a variety of charitable activities including the Master Innholder Scholarships and Aspiring Leaders Diploma.
I want to thank all those guests who helped us along with the fundraising by ordering a glass of Champagne over the cycle challenge weekend. Over 100 of you sipped Champagne to celebrate the event which helped raise money for a fantastic cause.
Matthew Long, General Manager