Bakkavor Dessert colleagues get on their bikes in aid of Newark Emmaus Trust

Colleagues at Bakkavor Desserts have planned a fundraiser in aid of a Newark charity.

This month, more than 250 colleagues at Bakkavor Desserts in Newark will get on their bikes and cycle 500 miles to support the Newark Emmaus Trust.

The trust helps vulnerable and homeless people in and around Newark, by providing temporary quality accommodation with professional care, support and training. The aim of the trust is to give people opportunities in life and to reverse the spiral of homelessness.

For the fundraiser, Bakkavor colleagues are volunteering each other to ride two miles in order to raise money for the charity.

There will also be a 48-hour cyclothon challenge on site on Tuesday, October 12.

Colleagues will each donate three pounds to enter the initiative and Bakkavor will double this with match-funding.

As a major Newark employer, tackling homelessness is an issue that the Bakkavor team said it was keen to support — and the business has valued colleagues that have been through the Newark Emmaus Trust and gone on to have successful careers with desert maker.

Andrjez Szokalski, general manager at Bakkavor, said: “We’re so pleased that, following our sponsored kayak and our collective ‘Walk 1 mile’ which resulted in a £3,000 donation to the Newark Emmaus Trust, our colleagues want to get back in the saddle and support the Trust with another fundraising initiative.

“The cycling initiative helps us to promote health and wellbeing internally and it’s also a fun team exercise to support a brilliant local charity that is close to our hearts — and makes such a positive contribution to the community at large.”