On Sunday 12th May, Mark Dawson, Managing Consultant at ASC cycled the Birmingham Velo and raised £650 for The Alzheimer’s society.

The Birmingham Velo is a 100 mile closed road cycle route starting and ending in the heart of Birmingham City Centre. Each year around 17,000+ riders cycle the route and get to encounter amazing landmarks across the Midlands. This year, the route took you through stunning countryside, panoramic views, picturesque villages and iconic climbs including Coventry Cathedral and Warwickshire’s Packwood House. Talking about the route Mark said :

‘I managed to cycle the 100 miles in just under 6 hours which I am really happy with. It was a great day, the weather was perfect and the atmosphere was amazing. There were thousands of people lining the route cheering you on, ringing cowbells shouting your name out and passing you cakes and biscuits! It was really nice for me as I had literally all of my family and lot’s of friends out to support me at various points on the route with banners etc. I have already pre-registered for next year’s where I will aim to complete it in 5 ½ hours’

Although a remarkable route to cycle, let’s not forget the real reason some cyclists choose to participate in the challenge – to support charities across the UK and beyond. Mark chose to support The Alzheimer’s society along with 500 other riders to try and raise £200k as a collective.

The charity is close to Mark’s heart as his father in law has the disease and Mark believes supporting the charity will improve research to better understand, treat and ultimately cure the disease. According to The Alzheimer’s society, Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer. Someone develops it every three minutes and there’s currently no cure. The Alzheimer’s society is the only UK charity that campaigns for change, funds research to find a cure and supports people living with dementia today.

With the help of family, friends and everyone at ASC, he managed to raise £650. Mark said ‘The support I had was fantastic. I set a target of £500 not really thinking I would get to it but with the help of 46 sponsors I smashed my target. Thanks to all of those that enabled me to achieve this’.

Mark’s colleague Anna Willis added ‘I am very proud of Mark for raising £650 through his Velo bike ride, it’s an amazing accomplishment and for a very worthy charity close to his heart. Well done!’

A big well done Mark from everyone at ASC.

We are very supportive of employees who want to support charity or community initiatives. If this sounds like a place you’d like to work, contact Neil McNally today or visit our work for us pages.

Rebecca Crowther is a Marketing Executive for ASC Connections. Her love for writing started when she was young. In her current role, she loves creating content to support candidates on their career journey and help clients hire talented individuals.