CYCLING TOUR DE SEARCYS RAISES OVER £22,000 FOR CHARITY
British restaurateur and events caterer, Searcys, has donated over £22,000 to its chosen charities, following the fundraising efforts for the 2023 Tour De Searcys bike ride.
Led by Managing Director Paul Jackson, 14 members of the Searcys team took to the roads for a 320-mile cycle across four days, starting from Inner Temple in London and ending in the town of Epernay in Champagne (France), home to Searcys’ own Selected Cuvée Champagne. This was the second tour, following the success of the first cycle ride in 2022 to celebrate the company’s 175th birthday and covered 175 miles between its London venues and the Pump Room in Bath.
In total, the team raised and donated £22,257 to three charity partners; Royal Academy of Culinary Arts Adopt a School Trust, which provides culinary lessons to children, Hotel School, working with vulnerable and homeless people to get them back to work into hospitality, and Just One Tree, supporting the environment through replanting forests across the world.
The funds raised by Searcys will sponsor 90 children within the Adopt a School programme to take part in a ‘Chef on the Farm’ visit, which provides disadvantaged children the opportunity to visit a local farm and learn basic cooking skills. The bike ride will also see Just One Tree plant 7,149 trees in the Nakuru County region of Kenya to create a ‘Searcys Forest’, which is predicted to absorb 2,285 tonnes of CO2.
The donation marks the ongoing charity initiatives run by Searcys as the company gives back to its local communities. This year alone, Searcys has employed six students and graduates from Hotel School across its venues, with the funds raised from Tour De Searcys offering an opportunity for up to 14 students to receive training through the registered charity.
Managing Director Paul Jackson comments, “Giving back is at the heart of our brand and we are delighted to have raised such a substantial amount for our second annual Tour De Searcys bike ride. This year, we extended the challenge to over 320 miles, taking us to the Champagne region, home of Searcys very own cuvée. I am very proud of our team for their hard work and dedication as we continue to support the vital work of our charity partners, Hotel School, Adopt a School Trust and Just One Tree.”
2023 also saw Searcys partner with the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) to launch a ‘Art of Finesse’ competition for QEST alumni to create a custom piece of work inspired by a Searcys venue. Hove silk-print artist and designer, Rosanna Bishop, was crowned the winner, with her commissioned artwork set to be installed at Searcys iconic St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar in 2024.