Exeter accountants cover 115 miles in charity relay ride

Keen cyclists from chartered accountants Francis Clark took to their bikes to raise money for charity by riding a relay across Devon and Cornwall.

Three teams made up of staff from the Exeter, Plymouth, Taunton, Torquay and Truro offices of the South West leading accountancy firm Francis Clark completed a gruelling relay cycling from Truro to Exeter to raise a total of £1,475 for four different charities.

The annual Inter-oOffice relay started from the Truro office where employees Darren Jasper, Adam Keogh, Richard Wadman, Nick Tippett and James West boarded bikes to cycle 56 miles along the A390 through St Austell and on past Looe into Plymouth.

At the Plymouth office, the second leg riders picked up the baton with Darin Dodd, Matt Ash and Gary Quick cycling along the A379 to Modbury and then on through the River Avon valley to join the A381 before continuing to the Torquay office, taking the total route to 91 miles.

The final sprint was headed up by Tom Parry, Graham Roberts and Chris Dawson who left the Torquay office and cycled along the coastal A379 into Teignmouth before riding around Powderham Castle and crossing the Countess Wear bridge to reach Exeter at 5pm, bringing the total mileage to 115.

The triple relay saw Francis Clark raise £1,475 which will be split between the offices’ nominated charities:

• Truro office - Cornwall Hospice Care
• Taunton office - Somerset Community Foundation
• Exeter office - Exeter Royal Academy for Deaf Education
• Plymouth office - St Luke’s Hospice

Sean Grinsted, Partner at Francis Clark said: “The Inter-Office cycle relay is a fantastic way for staff from across our South West offices to come together and raise a lot of money for vital charities. The cyclists who took part did a great job covering an impressive distance which took in some difficult terrain with a lot of steep hills.”