ON JUNE 13, 60 people from Convex Insurance took on a major challenge of ‘Coastal GB in a Day’ – cycling the coastline of England, Scotland and Wales in 24-hours. In total, the cyclists covered a distance of more than 7,120km, which is the equivalent distance of London to Mumbai.
The idea came from Steve Perry, from Maidenhead in Berkshire, who has worked at Convex Insurance for over three years. Steve pitched the UK coastline challenge as part of the company’s ‘Dream Pitch ‘, an annual opportunity for colleagues to pitch an idea or big dream that Convex can turn into a reality. Over the past few months, Steve has been planning the challenge, organising the routes, enrolling colleagues and sorting logistics.
The 24-hour challenge saw the coastline split into routes of approximately 132km, with two cyclists on each route cycling towards each other.
Convex Insurance hosted this cycling event to help raise awareness of its charity partner, Alzheimer’s Research UK. This long-term partnership began in 2020 and over the past six years, Convex has raised over £1.8 million for the UK’s leading dementia research charity.
On coming up with the pitch, Steve Perry, Head of Delivery, Analytics, said: “The Dream Pitch at Convex is something truly unique and a great opportunity for the people who work here. I have been amazed by what people have achieved thanks to the Dream Pitch and I have always been keen to apply myself.
“Cycling has always been a big part of my life; I’ve taken part in many events and completed numerous bike-based challenges so pitching an idea related to a pastime I love felt like a natural fit. Inspired by stories of people cycling the coast of Great Britain solo (one of whom is joining our event), I pitched the idea of putting a group together to do it all in one day and was very fortunate to be selected as the winner.
Steve continues: “The actual event has evolved hugely from my original pitch. Many people at Convex have contributed to the planning and have helped refine the idea into what it is today. It’s been amazing to hear how people are making each section their own. Many are cycling with friends and family; one rider is using it as a chance to reconnect with old friends in their university town, and another is stopping halfway along her route to participate in a backgammon tournament before cycling the rest of the leg. The logistics have been the hardest part to organise as there are 60 start points that we have to get people to and from and we will be using a small army of trains, cars, planes and even boats to get all the riders where they need to be.
“With so many participants, it’s a great opportunity to raise money and awareness for the great work that our charity partner, Alzheimer’s Research UK, does. Research shows that regular exercise, like cycling, can reduce the risk of dementia so involving the charity in our attempt to cycle the entire coast of Great Britain in one day is a very natural fit.”
Steve will be cycling from Portree, Skye, over Bealach na bá and will finish his section in Shieldaig.
Ashley Stockwell, Chief Marketing Officer at Convex said: “Now in its seventh year, we are incredibly proud of the Convex Dream Pitch and how it continues to bring people’s passions to life. When Steve initially pitched the idea, we weren’t sure what it would look like. Fast-forward to today, and we have over 160 total cyclists and more than 100 routes planned to connect the coast of Great Britain in a day. This is a huge challenge, and we’re delighted to build on our six-year partnership with Alzheimer’s Research UK to both raise awareness and funds for research into the way dementia is treated, diagnosed and prevented. Good luck to everyone participating.”
Hilary Evans-Newton CBE, Chief Executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK said: “We are incredibly inspired to see colleagues from Convex take on the ‘Coastal GB in a Day’ challenge, an extraordinary effort that will raise vital awareness for dementia research.
“Dementia is one of the greatest health challenges of our time, but we are at a pivotal moment. Thanks to the continued support of partners like Convex, we are closer than ever to delivering life-changing breakthroughs and changing the ending for everyone affected by dementia.”
