Story
<p class="western" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><strong><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="western" style="text-align: center; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><strong><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 24.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">A THOUSAND MILES FOR THEIR SMILES</span></strong><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";" lang="EN-GB"></span></span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">Five colleagues from Stafford-based Altecnic will be raising cash and smiles in the Gran Charity Giro, an epic one thousand mile cycle ride over the Alps, from Stafford to Milan. </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">Starting from Altecnic’s company headquarters, the intrepid team will be joined by five colleagues from the parent company Caleffi’s Italian manufacturing facility in Fontaneto D’Agogna, to raise money for Shine Together, Leukaemia & Lymphona Research and the Katharine House Hospice.</span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">Already in training for the arduous route, which will be a real test of strength, endurance and stamina, the team will set off on 2 July from Stafford to Bristol, then down to the coast where they will cross to Northern France. Then down into Switzerland and over the High Alps via the famous Grand St Bernard Pass, arriving<strong> </strong>at the factory near Milan on 10 July 2011.</span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">Event organiser Dave Hart came up with the idea for the Gran Charity Giro after suffering an accident which left his back broken in two places. After a long rehabilitation, the keen cyclist is back in the saddle and determined to raise thousands of pounds for Shine Together, the charity for Frenchay and Southmead hospitals, where he was treated and made a full recovery. </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">Joined by his colleagues at Altecnic and Caleffi, the cycle challenge will also raise funding for Leukaemia & Lymphona Research, which works tirelessly to beat blood cancers and Katharine House Hospice, a charity that has helped and supported many people in Stafford.</span><strong><span style="line-height: 150%; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">Dave Hart commented: “This is an exciting challenge, and one that I didn’t think I’d be able to do. I’m so grateful to the medical teams that helped me recover that a thousand miles on a bike really seems like the least I could do! Every pound raised will go straight to these three charities, which are close to all our hearts and we’ve been shown a huge amount of support from our colleagues and customers. I’m so proud that Altecnic and Caleffi are supporting the Gran Charity Giro and helping us make this possible.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB"> </span></p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="line-height: 150%; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;" lang="EN-GB">The Altecnic team is looking for sponsors to support its fundraising and details can be found at <a href="http://www.grancharitygiro.com/"><span style="color: #0000ff;">www.grancharitygiro.com</span></a>. For more information please contact Dave Hart on <a href="mailto:david.hart@altecnic.co.uk"><span style="color: #0000ff;">david.hart@altecnic.co.uk</span></a></span></p>
<p> </p>