£5,550 raised by Gateshead Amazon cyclists for charities

The group started the 130-mile cycle from Whitehaven Harbour, finishing the route at Amazon’s fulfilment centre in Gateshead. The team arrived at Amazon in Gateshead after three days, raising over £4,000, including a £1,000 donation from the Amazon fulfilment centre in Gateshead, which will be divided between Tiny Lives Trust and 4Louis.

Tiny Lives Trust supports parents that have had a baby born prematurely. The charity supplies funds and staff specialists to the RVI Neonatal Unit in Newcastle-upon-Tyne alongside support to parents through financial assistance, essential packs and sibling support.

4Louis provides support to bereaved families after suffering a miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss or death of an older child. The charity provides memory boxes to hospitals across the UK, giving the families an opportunity to gain precious memories. 4Louis also provides vital equipment such as cuddle cots, bereavement training to health care professionals and funding for bereavement suites.

Dan Stewart, Site Leader at Amazon in Gateshead, said:

“We couldn’t be prouder of our team at Amazon in Gateshead who took part in the fundraising cycle from Whitehaven to Gateshead. I’m pleased to have a team that is motivated to support such important charities. Our cyclists should be extremely pleased with the amount they raised for these three important charities.”

Daniel Hardman, an employee from Amazon who took part in the fundraising cycle, added:

“I am very proud to have completed the cycle alongside such an amazing team, as well as raising an incredible amount of money for Tiny Lives Trust, 4Louis and Virtus Mental Health. The team’s spirits were high throughout the cycle and to see everyone cheering us on at the finish line was incredible!”

Paula Parnaby, from 4Louis said:

“On behalf of the staff at 4Louis and the bereaved families that we help, I would like to say a huge thank you to the Amazon team in Gateshead for this support. What an amazing achievement by the team of cyclists and for such worthy causes. We can only continue with our much need work because of donations like this, so thank you, it’s greatly appreciated.”

Amazon supports the communities where it operates and has delivered free computer science and STEM education programmes to more than 700,000 students across the UK through Amazon Future Engineer.

Amazon helps community organisations transport meals and other essentials to families in need through its pro bono logistics programme, Amazon Local Good, including more than seven million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in partnership with Magic Breakfast. And through its Multibank initiative, co-founded with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Amazon has supported more than 200,000 families experiencing poverty, with the donation of more than 2 million surplus essential goods.

Amazon partners with Comic Relief to help people tackle poverty and is the official home of the charity’s iconic Red Nose. Together with its employees, customers, and partners, Amazon has raised over £4.8 million to fund projects that support people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and tackle issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, and food insecurity across the UK, and around the world.