On the 21st July, 2023, while the Tour de France was reaching its climax, 19 intrepid cyclists left Thales’ Maritime Autonomy Centre in Turnchapel Wharf, Plymouth. Their plan: to cycle 220 miles (350km) over three days to Thales in the UK’s Bristol office and, along the way, take in the beauty and tackle the hills of Dartmoor and Cheddar Gorge. Their mission: to raise £30k for Thales’ employee-chosen charity, Asthma & Lung UK (ALUK) to support its research into child asthma.

During the ride, the peloton not only faced some very steep climbs (including the iconic Cheddar Gorge), they also had to contend with some typically wet and windy British summer weather.

Among the peloton was Chris Shaw, Thales in the UK’s Chief Operating Officer. “The charity bike ride challenge was not only a test of our physical strength, but also a testament to the unity and support within our team. It was great to see the team utilising their Thales volunteering hours to support ALUK's critical research into child asthma. We hope that through our efforts, many more people across the UK can breathe easy. Well done to everyone involved, including the fantastic support crew who followed every pedal stoke and helped get us over the line.”

All Thales employees in the UK are entitled to take up to 24 hrs a year of paid time off for volunteering in addition to their annual leave entitlement. Volunteering at Thales has a wide reach and enables you to get involved with STEM education and outreach events, fundraising, community engagement and environmental projects.

Jon Bye, Head of Content and Digital Marketing at Thales in the UK, who organised the Challenge and who’s lived with Asthma since he was a child had this to say at the end of the Challenge, “The sun, the rain, the cold, the wind, the punctures, the hills, and plenty of laughs all added to an incredible adventure. And more importantly, it’s been fantastic to both raise money and awareness for a cause that’s so close to my heart.”

At the time of publishing, the team had raised £24k of their £30k goal. If you’d like to help them reach their target, it’s easy to make a donation. Just visit the Thales UK Cycle Challenge fundraising page.

About our charitable partnerships

Over the last decade, Thales in the UK has raised over £2 million for our employee-chosen charity partnerships. Our two-year partnership with Asthma & Lung UK aims to raise at least £200,000 for crucial research and treatments that will support 12 million people in the UK with lung conditions, 5.4 million of whom live with asthma.