A huge thank you to all those who came along to our first ever Grand Canal Challenge! The day was a great success and in total we managed to raise £41,500. All proceeds will go directly to Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity. 

77 cyclists, 78 walkers, two barge dwellers, a kayaker, and one Comedy legend – Harry Enfield, all took part in the 26-mile course from Royal Brompton to Harefield. The course finished with a well-earned pint at the Old Orchard Pub who put on a wonderful Craft-Beer Festival especially for the event.

A special thanks to the owner Dan and his staff for all their help in making the day so memorable. Each contestant was greeted with a specially-made Challenge tankard, a delicious BBQ, and live music from local band SoulMates for those who weren't too exhausted from the Challenge to tap their feet to.

As with all of our community events, our Grand Canal Challenge was a tightly-knit event with the majority of attendees having a special connection to Royal Brompton or Harefield Hospital. A special thanks to all those all helped out by volunteering for us, including long-term contributors Cliff James, who received a heart transplant back in 2014, and Pam Mann, whose husband received life-saving surgery at Harefield.

As well as our special guests, our generous donors and volunteers, and most of the Charity team were also in attendance, including our CEO, Gill Raikes, MBE.