On the Beach staff are paying tribute to colleague Andy Clague, who died in 2018 from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Seven On the Beach employees are cycling 223 miles from the company’s Manchester headquarters to the headquarters of blood cancer charity DKMS in London today.
They will be raising money for DKMS, which provides stem cell matches for people facing blood cancer and blood disorders.
On the Beach is looking to raise £50,000 amd donations have so far reached £9,000 on its Just Giving page.
Since Andy died, in 2018, On the Beach has partnered with DKMS to organise several other fundraisers, including a bake off, a Christmas raffle and a running team.
Each year, the online travel agent gives The Andy Clague Award to the colleague who has made an exceptional contribution over the past 12 months.
Andy’s wife, Lou Clague, attends the annual ceremony and presents the award to the winning colleague in Andy’s memory.
Lou said: “Andy navigated his illness with such dignity and never lost his sense of humour. Even when we were told he wasn’t going to get better, he kept us entertained with his quick wit.
“He loved working for On the Beach, and I know he would be bursting with pride that together we are together doing our bit to stop other people experiencing the utter heartbreak we have – and still do to this day. I’ll be cheering on the cyclists every step of the way.”
On the Beach Chief Marketing & Customer Officer Zoe Harris added: “In 2018, we lost our much-loved colleague and friend Andy Clague after a two-year battle with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
“Despite his bravery, no stem cell donor match could be found on the register. Andy’s story fuels our commitment to supporting DKMS in their vital work and growing the stem cell register to help more people find their life-saving match.
“I’m really proud of all of our cyclists who have trained so hard to get ready for this epic challenge. They’ll get a huge send off from the team and a hero’s welcome when back in the office.”
Images shows the Cycling challenge team, from left: David Curran, Ashley Toplis, Leigh Buckingham, Mark White, Aisha Anwar, Nigel Robinson, Zeljko Loncar.
