An intrepid team of 11 staff from Aspen Pumps is taking on the challenge of cycling from its headquarters in Hailsham, East Sussex, to Paris to raise money for local charity, Chestnut Tree House.

Starting on 28th June and covering 130 miles in 24 hours, the team will end the journey at the headquarters of Aspen’s Paris based distributor, Salina SAS.

The team of cyclists is hoping to raise much needed funds for the Sussex-based children’s hospice, which has a base in nearby Eastbourne for its team of community nurses who care for children in their own homes across the county.

With training well underway, the team is looking for as much support as possible. Donations can be made at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/AspenParis and will help care for and support children and young adults from 0-19 years of age with progressive life-shortening conditions from East and West Sussex and South East Hampshire.

Joe Rose, head of group karketing at Aspen, said: “Myself and my colleagues are training hard to make sure we are ready for the challenge and cycle all the way to Salina SAS, our French office in Paris. We are very proud to support Chestnut Tree House, which offers support to families of local children with life-limiting conditions. They are a crucial lifeline for many families in the area so please support us as much as you can!”

Terrina Barnes, corporate fundraising manager at Chestnut Tree, said: “We want to wish the team at Aspen Pumps the best of luck with their challenge. The money they raise will be vital to us in continuing to offer care to children and families in the local area, and helping us to reach even more families who need our support. It currently costs well over £3.5m each year to provide all the care services offered by Chestnut Tree House and families are never charged for their care. We receive less than 7% of our funding from central government so rely heavily on businesses like Aspen Pumps who take on amazing challenges to fundraise for us.”

Chestnut Tree’s goal is to provide the best quality of life for children, young people and their families, and to offer a total package of practical, social and spiritual support throughout each child’s life, however short it may be. For more information visit http://www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/handsup