A COMPANY is swapping cars for bikes as employees hit the road for a national cycling event, covering the length and breadth of the country.

The staff at Kwik Fit are pedalling to raise vital funds for their chosen charity partner Children with Cancer UK, furthering the charity’s mission to help every child diagnosed with cancer.

The Tour de Branch is seeing more than 80 employees embark on a nationwide tour, taking in more than 120 centres and covering 2,500 miles – a distance that’s 300 miles longer than this year’s Tour de France.

Last week, the team set off from Kwik Fit’s Richfield Avenue centre in Reading, with family, friends and colleagues at the centre to offer their support.

Ten year old Owen, a Children with Cancer hero, and his family gave the riders a motivational speech before setting the team off on the next leg of their journey to Woking.

The employees of the UK’s largest automotive servicing and repair company selected Children with Cancer UK to be its charity partner for 2019 and are aiming to raise £1 million throughout the year.

These funds will go towards providing new family accommodation in a bid to keep families together whilst children from across the country undergo specialist treatment.

Accommodation is particularly important as families often otherwise travel far and wide incurring expensive transport and hotel bills. Our commitment will provide them with a much-needed place to stay close to their children.

Craig Hutchinson, centre manager at Kwik Fit Richfield Avenue, Reading, said: “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to support our very own team of cyclists as they raise money for such a great cause.

"The support has been amazing and we would like to give a special thank you to Owen, our Children with Cancer hero, who came to cheer the team on. "All money raised by the Tour de Branch will go towards our £1million target, helping Children with Cancer UK continue their brilliant and indispensable work.”

Anyone wishing to donate can do so very easily by texting KWIK3 to 70007 to donate £3** or by visiting the webpage https://fundraising.kwik-fit.com/ for more details.

Details of the ongoing fundraising programme will be shared via social media, with customers able to follow the company on Twitter at @kwik_fit.