DHA smashes 1,000-mile charity fundraising target

A team from Kent-based DHA has smashed its ambitious target of running or cycling 1,000 miles in 24 hours, raising more than £6,000 for three charities.

When the squad finished after going through the night, they had run and cycled a total of 1,888 miles, after taking it in turns on three exercise bikes and two treadmills.

The 44-strong squad from the independent multi-disciplinary planning consultancy chose to support Heart of Kent Hospice based in Maidstone; the Brain Tumour Charity, and R;pple Suicide Prevention, the online mental health support charity.

The team almost doubled its original target of raising £3,000 and to date their combined efforts have raised to nearly £6,500.

Alex Hicken, Managing Director of DHA, said: “We agreed on the three charities to support, each of them with a personal connection to members of the team and ethos of the firm.

“We thought 1,000 miles and £3,000 was an ambitious target, but our whole team really came together and absolutely smashed it. It’s great to be able to support these charities that are making a difference to our community every day.”

The distance achieved was the equivalent of nearly 16 circuits of the 120 miles between the firm’s offices in Maidstone, London, and Gatwick in 24 hours.

The team ran and walked at an average of 78.5 miles per hour during the day and night from inside DHA’s head office in Kent to complete the task. To beat the target, each member needed to run or cycle more than 22.7 miles – with the final average being 42.8 miles.

Individuals and businesses interested in adding to DHA’s fundraising efforts should visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/dha1000milechallenge