Herma UK on track to hit £30k with Labelexpo bike ride

Colin Phillips, Herma UK's managing director, had set an initial target of raising at least £15,000 for Cancer Research UK, Breast Cancer Care and the Namuwongo children's charity.

This target has been smashed, with more than £28,000 raised so far by the team and its fundraisers, and Phillips is hopeful of raising even more in the weeks leading up to the show.

He said: ‘Our training is on track, and each member of the team is averaging 130-150 miles a week now. We’ve got a couple more test rides coming up as a team.

‘Having set a target of £15,000, we’ve raised £28,500 for our charities so far, and hope to get over £30,000 in the end.

‘It’s a big challenge, but we’re looking forward to it, and we’re hopeful of having good weather too.’

The cyclists from Herma UK will arrive in Brussels on the morning of the first day of Labelexpo Europe 2013, September 24, where they will present the cheque for the total raised. The team will then make their way to the Herma UK stand via some of the label industry suppliers that have supported their fundraising.

This has included a number that have sponsored the shirts the team from Herma UK will be wearing during the 300-plus mile road trip.

AB Graphics, Alphasonics, American Paper & Film, AV Flexologic, Bar Graphic Machinery, BPIF, Edale, EFIA, FINAT, Flint Group, Gallus, GEW, Innovia Films, Mark Andy, Nilpeter, Paragon Inks, RotoMetrics, TLMI, Xeikon and Zeller+Gmelin are amongst those to sponsor the shirts.

Herma UK’s bicycle ride is one of a number of  charitable industry initiatives currently being undertaken, including Fujifilm’s support of WaterAid, and a team from Labels & Labeling parent Tarsus, which is to take on the Three Peaks challenge. The Tarsus team is raising funds for Events for Namuwongo.