I've always loved a bit of a challenge and riding from Land’s End, in the south of England, to John O’Groats, in the very north of Scotland (LEJOG), has been on my list for years. I'm not really sure why, but I decided that 50 was the perfect age to do it. With the Covid interruption to our lives, 51 is the new 50!  

So this September, along with my great friends Andrew and Rob, I will be cycling 980 miles over 9 days. I'm expecting it to be beautiful and scenic, but over nine days, it will be physically and mentally challenging. We're expecting all 4 seasons along with wind and rain to make it interesting. I'm not sure what will be hardest the cycling or camping each evening! 

I am riding across Britain to raise awareness and money to support the work and advocacy of Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB). TBB is the only organisation in the world connecting refugees to international job opportunities, opening and promoting mobility as a complementary solution to traditional refugee resettlement. 

My role at Iress has shown me the power of TBB to change lives and I am immensely proud of the part we have played since 2019. Not only have we actively supported through raising funds but we have also directly assisted the relocation and professional employment of (so far) five refugees and their families in  the United Kingdom and Australia.   

If you feel that this is a cause worthy of financial support, I appreciate your generosity. The trip is a personal funded adventure for me. Every ££ donated is purely for the benefit of TBB.

More powerfully, if you are a business leader reading this, I encourage you to investigate the opportunity to access skilled talent through TBB for your business. The direct impact on the lives of refugees, and their families, and its flow-on effect internally should not be underestimated. It has singularly been the most impactful social initiative at Iress. If you want to talk to someone who has been directly involved in employment of skilled refugees, let me know.