Twelve brave and inspiring volunteers set off from the Valero Pembroke refinery yesterday, Thursday 11th September, to start their 480km journey cycling all the way to the London office in Canary Wharf by Sunday 14th September.

Jess Camburn-Rahmani, Cerebra CEO, joined them for a stint from St Clears to the Cerebra office in Carmarthen, where they pulled in for a cuppa and a spot of lunch.

Next stop along the way was the Cerebra Innovation Centre in Swansea earlier today, Friday 12th September, and later on they’ll visit Pedal Power in Cardiff.

Valero has previously partnered with Cerebra through their annual Benefit for Children Golf Day, and we are so honoured that they have chosen to complete this epic challenge and once again support our work to improve the lives of children with brain conditions.

“Valero is delighted to be supporting Cerebra with a truly inspiring fundraising challenge – a bike ride from our Pembroke Refinery on Thursday 11 September to our offices in London, finishing on Sunday 14 September.

Valero has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with Cerebra through our annual Benefit for Children Golf Classic fundraiser, and this marks the very first Valero Volunteer Council fundraising event in support of the charity.

Nine incredible Valero volunteers will be taking on this demanding ride, cheered on by fellow colleagues who will be there every step of the way. Together, we’re aiming to raise £5,000 to help Cerebra continue their vital work.”

– Jacqui John, Chair – Valero Volunteer Council

“We first talked about doing this cycle several years ago now, and it’s great to finally bring it to life for such a worthwhile cause.

Most of us have never cycled more than 100km before, let alone 500km in 4 days, so it’s going to be quite the challenge!

We’re super lucky that our core team of 9 Valero riders will also be joined by several others – a mixture of industry associates and friends – helping to keep spirits high from start to finish.

Our main motivator along the way will be visiting Cerebra at their offices in Carmarthen, as well as the Innovation Centre in Swansea, to be able to see some of the great work they do and to remind us of why we’re doing this challenge!

We hope to exceed our fundraising target of £5,000 by the end of the cycle, to really help Cerebra make a difference.”

– Lily Hipple Walsh, Event Coordinator – Valero Volunteer Council

The donations have been streaming in, and they have already smashed their £5,000 target! They’ve raised an amazing £8,300 so far via their Just Giving campaign: https://www.justgiving.com/team/valero-pembroke-to-london.

Max Newton, Cerebra Director of Fundraising, Marketing & Comms said:

“Everyone here at Cerebra is bowled over by the support from our friends at Valero. This is an awesome challenge to raise money to support children with brain conditions and their families. It’s a long way and very hilly, so we’ll be supplying the energy when the cyclists stop by our HQ in Carmarthen. Cerebra’s services are a lifeline – from Sleep Advice to our toy and book library to legal support to the Innovation Centre that makes bespoke equipment to bring joy to our children and their families. We can only maintain that lifeline with the help of supporters like Valero. Thank you!”