Members of the BCA human resources (HR) team have raised almost £3,700 for the NHS, after undertaking a sponsored walk, run and cycle during COVID-19 lockdown.

The BCA team set themselves the challenge of covering 1,948 miles to mark the anniversary of the formation of the NHS on July 5, 1948 and to honour the work of NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of July 3, the team had covered 3,159.25 miles and raised £3,678.85, including gift aid.

Mark Taylor, HR director at BCA, said: “We are absolutely delighted that not only did we meet our target, but we ‘knocked it out of the park’.

“There was a strong consensus amongst everyone in the team that they wanted to do something to acknowledge the heroic efforts of the NHS, as well as raise funds for the NHS Charities Together COVID 19 appeal.

“The enthusiasm with which the team tackled the challenge – come rain and shine – has been overwhelming. We’re pleased we could add to the other support BCA has already provided to the wider community during the pandemic so far.”

BCA’s HR team used their one hour ‘daily exercise’ allowance during lockdown to complete the challenge.

From May 5 to June 30, the 22-strong team walked, ran and cycled from their home locations around the UK, using a running app to track their progress.

The NHS Charities National Covid-19 Urgent Appeal was launched to acknowledge, and support NHS staff, volunteers and patients impacted by COVID-19 across the country.

Charity's across the UK have suffered from lost income due to cancelled events duringthe COVID-19 crisis.

Last week AM reported that Ben had been left with a £1 million fund-raising gap after it was forced to cancel the 2020 Ben Ball due to the pandemic.

Fund-raising director, Matt Wigginton, said: “Making the decision to cancel Ben Ball is one of the hardest I've ever had to make, however with the uncertainty of the situation surrounding COVID-19 and the impact it has had on our industry, it was, unfortunately, inevitable."