At RentGuarantor, we are extremely proud of our close and ongoing partnerships with a range of important charities. Yes, we do get involved with sponsorships, but we are a proactive and hands-on bunch when it comes to fundraising, too, and not least for our dedicated charity, Furnishing Futures.
We’ve been involved with this extraordinary organisation for two years; they furnish (down to bedsheets and cutlery!) and decorate properties – often using high-quality, second-hand furniture that would otherwise end up in landfill - to give hope and dignity to women and children placed in empty social housing after escaping domestic abuse. The majority of these properties are entirely unfurnished, and many don’t have appliances or even flooring or window coverings. Many women find themselves giving up and returning to their partner, to ensure their children have a bed to sleep in. Last year, Furnishing Futures finished 80 homes, saved 9,731 items of furniture and helped 178 children find somewhere to call home.
Emma Foy, RentGuarantor’s Chief Operations Officer and resident athlete, is leading our latest fundraising initiative; on 11th September, she is cycling an impressive 247 miles from London to Paris – an incredible feat which will take roughly three days in total, with 20 hours spent in the saddle.
Our intrepid cyclist, usually a keen runner (including the London 2 Brighton, all 100km – or 62 miles - of it), is switching from pounding the pavements to two wheels. You might have seen her mammoth session on a static bike at RentGuarantor’s stand at PropertyMark One, where she clocked up 100 miles in full view of conference speakers and attendees. What you didn’t see however, are the moments in between…check back soon for Emma’s insights into her grueling training regime – warts and all.
Meanwhile, you can show your support for this amazing charity over on Emma’s JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/emma-foy-3?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL%3C/a
“With a few months to go until the big ride in September, I’m getting as many miles in as I can on the bike. Over the last few weeks, I broke two personal records – my stretch on the static bike at PropertyMark One was the longest ride I’ve ever undertaken in one go based on duration (7 hours and 20 minutes!), and a recent charity ride in beautiful Ireland was the longest distance I’ve ever cycled in a day, at 110 miles.
The atmosphere in Ireland was truly fantastic. As a charity ride, not a race, moods were positive and motivation was high. My personal highlight from the day? It had to be the rider who completed the entire route on a traditional penny-farthing. I thought I was hallucinating when I saw him trundle past me at the aid station. I didn’t know whether to be impressed or ashamed (I think it was a mix of both) that he completed the ride only a few minutes later than I did. I will use the excuse that my cycling buddy on the day was riding with a broken wrist (more on that below), which did steady our pace more!
Note to self: Research windscreen wipers for sunglasses. The views would have been absolutely incredible, had I been able to see more 10m in front. A very foggy experience!
It’s fair to say I found the static bike stint slightly more challenging than an outdoor ride; I missed the fresh air, and a static bike limits your movement differently, so a little tougher physically. Huge thanks to Michaela and Ben from the RentGuarantor team, who were very game and gallantly hopped into the saddle to keep the miles up during two loo breaks!
I’m continuing to be grateful that I remain injury free (fingers staying crossed). Unlike my poor friend who managed to cycle into a canal on a recent ride with me and came away with a cracked shoulder blade, six broken ribs and a broken wrist. I had to fish him, and his bike, out of some very mucky water.
Until next time!
