In Spring 2021, Speechmatics launched a Strava Challenge to ‘travel’ the distance between its Cambridge HQ and office in Brno in the Czech Republic.  The goal was not only to do something to raise funds for Wintercomfort (Speechmatics’ chosen charity) but also to tie in with Mental Health Awareness Week.  

As Office Manager Charlotte Brown explains, “We wanted to use the challenge to encourage the team from all geographical locations to get outdoors and get moving.”  It was important to the team that every mile counted, whether they were able to just get out for a lunch time walk with the dog or were more inclined to go for a 50+ mile cycle ride on the weekend.

The team walked, ran, rowed, paddle-boarded, wheelchair pushed and swam.  Each activity was posted onto Strava and totalled at the end of each week with an update on progress sent out in the weekly update newsletter.

The first leg of 847 miles was completed within a little over 2 weeks, raising the first £100 donation for Wintercomfort but since they smashed their target in such a short time, the team decided to up the ante and add a second leg.  

From Brno, they set off towards Chennai, India where they also have a small team located.  This time with a significantly larger target of 4351 miles!  It took a little while longer but on completion in early May, crossed the virtual finish line and made a further donation of £250.

There are tentative plans to continue the final stage from Chennai to Denver Colorado.  No mean feat at 8768 miles!! We’ll let them catch their breath first!

If your team is up for a motivational, team-bonding challenge in support of Wintercomfort, get in touch to let us know about your plans!