TeamOCWChallenge

Co-ops team up for longest, steepest, highest challenge

Jim Pettipher of Co-operative Futures in Gloucester, Dan Harris from Oxford Cycle Workshop and Paul Rowlands of design and communications agency Leadout, preparing for the Great Lakeland Challange

Co-operative businesses in the region have joined forces to tackle the longest, steepest, highest charity challenge in England.

Jim Pettipher of Co-operative Futures in Gloucester, Dan Harris from Oxford Cycle Workshop and Paul Rowlands of design and communications agency Leadout will take part in the Great Lakeland Challenge in the Lake District on Friday, September 11.

The event will see hundreds of competitors canoe England’s longest lake, cycle the country’s steepest pass and conquer England’s highest peak – all in 12 hours.

Now the team is looking for a fourth member, with excellent organisational qualities, a driving licence and the gentle touch – as besides ensuring the team’s equipment is in the right place for discipline change-overs, one of their duties will be team masseur!

Jim explained: “This is one of the toughest challenges in the UK. After canoeing the 10.5-mile length of Lake Windermere we have to find our land legs and cycle up England’s steepest pass, Wrynose, which has a one-in-three gradient – like cycling up a 26-mile flight of stairs.

“Finally we have to conquer Scafell Pike the hard way – navigating an 8.5-mile route from Wasdale Head to the Langdale Valley.

“The co-operative movement is all about working together, and the Great Lakeland Challenge gives us an excellent opportunity to demonstrate this spirit of co-operation, whilst raising thousands of pounds for a good cause at the same time.”

Paul, who spent three years working on the Tour of Britain cycle race, explained: “Leadout is a West Midlands-based workers co-operative through which we encourage collaboration amongst freelance workers in the design and communications industry. By combining our respective skills we can offer many of the services of a traditional agency in a way that can be afforded by small and medium sized businesses.

Given the support I’ve recieved from Jim and the team at Co-operative Futures I couldn’t refuse when the opportunity to do something good in return was presented to me.”

The trio are competing as Team OCW Orbea, named after Oxford Cycle Workshop and the manufacturer of the bikes the team will be using.

Dan, from OCW, explained: “Orbea, which is based in the Basque region of Spain, is a worker co-operative producing some of the world’s best road and mountain bikes.

“Sammy Sanchez won the road race gold medal at the Beijing Olympics on an Orbea and Oxford Cycle Workshop is the county’s sole importer of Orbea cycles.”

Oxford Cycle Workshop is a worker co-operative that refurbishes and resells used bikes and sells new Orbea cycles, whilst its training arms teaches members of the public how to look after their bikes, and offers training in bike maintenance, leading to NVQ qualifications, for young offenders and other disadvantaged groups.

Co-operative Futures, an agency funded by Midcounties Co-operative that encourages the formation of new co-operatives in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Swindon and Wiltshire, was instrumental in helping Oxford Cycle Workshop become a co-operative in 2008.

Team OCW Orbea aims to raise at least £4,000 for event organiser Wooden Spoon, the official children’s charity of the rugby world, which helps disadvantaged children across the UK fulfil their full potential.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the team, or becoming its fourth member, should contact Jim Pettipher from Co-operative Futures on 0845 456 2506 or at info@co-operativefutures.coop

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