Hospitality Action's 20,000 mile challenge raises more than £34,000 in first hours

Hospitality Action's 20,000 Mile Hospitality Challenge, an alternative to the annual Tour de Cuisine Cotswold Cycle Challenge, has raised more than £34,000 since it launched this morning.

Speaking to The Caterer, fundraising events director Astrid Wears-Taylor said the charity had been flooded with support from industry specialists including contract caterers, hoteliers, suppliers and recruitment agencies and was confident it would hit Monday's target.

Wears-Taylor added: "I'm quite hopeful especially with the weekend coming up. We're definitely feeling well supported by the industry."

The industry charity is calling on fitness fanatics and newcomers alike to contribute their efforts to collectively cycle, run, skate, walk or jog the 19,491 miles of the entire UK coastline. Within six hours of launching, more than 460 participants clocked up 1,500 miles to support employees facing ongoing financial and emotional uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Participants are invited to sign up for free, pledge their mileage, activity and sponsorship. Distances are automatically recorded via a Strava fitness app which clocks the collective distance as a route around the coastline. The challenge is live between now and 6pm on Monday 8 June, with Domaine Evremond – Champagne Taittinger's vineyard in Kent – as the virtual start and finish line.

As well as raising money for the charity, participants who raise over £150 in sponsorship will automatically be entered into a Thank You Prize Draw to win one of 25 bottles of Taittinger Brut Réserve, with the top fundraiser being invited to Champagne Taittinger in Reims at a future date. Fundraising will close at 10am on 15 June and winners will be announced later that day.

At the end of May Hospitality Action launched a Covid-19 wellbeing hub on its website, offering resources and advice to support workers.