Collen Charity Cycle 2020

Collen is delighted that arrangements for the 5th Annual Collen Charity Cycle are underway and this year’s event comes with an exciting twist!  While events such as Great Dublin Bike Ride are not possible to participate in this year due to the current pandemic, Collen Charity Cycle event will still run, in a different way, with a unique cycle challenge and leisure combination!  This year will be the first time all Collen companies will take part together – while apart – calling on solidarity, and community action as we begin to rebuild and create a more healthy and resilient society together.

Collen has a long and proud tradition of supporting the local community and is delighted to get involved in several projects which help raise awareness and funds for local charities. Collen Charity Cycle has been a great success over the last 4 years, in contributing towards employee wellbeing and raising funds in support of the local communities across which Collen operates.   This year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic many fundraising activities and events have been cancelled. Covid-19 outbreak has presented difficult challenges and in doing so has presented new opportunities.  An exciting new 2020 instalment of the Collen Annual Charity Cycle was born and will bring Collen project teams in Ireland, Germany, and Sweden together as we attempt to Cycle Pole to Pole.  On Friday 25th September Collen employees, clients, subcontractors, and extended supply chain will collectively cycle the distance of North Pole to South Pole covering a combined distance of 20,020km over the course of the weekend.

Collen’s participation in charity cycle events was born out of conversations between staff members who shared a common love of cycling and the outdoors. Collen, who are an 8th generation family owned company established in 1810 and based in East Wall, Dublin 3 since 1890, pride themselves on balancing company interests with those of its employees and the wider community.  An interest was expressed by some Collen employees, who would cycle regularly, to go out as a social get together in their spare time or take part in an organised cycling sportive.  However, that idea quickly evolved from being a handful of keen experienced cyclists to a larger number of enthusiastic employees who had not cycled in years but had a desire to get back out on the saddle.  It was clear that people wanted a personal fitness challenge too.

As part of Collen’s ongoing commitment to improving employee well-being at work, the Company was pleased to support the events.   Collen Charity Cycle team have participated 4 years running in the Great Dublin Bike Ride. Staff were encouraged to fundraise for their own participation and coupled with the funds left over from the sponsors, Collen were able to engage with the local community where all proceeds raised were in aid of local charities: Aoibhneas (Women and Children refuge), Sean O Casey Community Centre (East Wall Youth, Senior Citizens, and Men’s Shed) and The Light House (Homeless Support Centre).  In 2019 Collen Charity Cycle team took on a further challenge and cycled 200km from Dublin – Galway in support of Men’s Mental Health.  This is no different for its European operations.  In 2018 Collen presented funds raised in a charity cycle undertaken by the project team to two local charities in Sweden: Sormlands Vastmanlands & Västerås Stadsmission (Women at Risk and Homelessness Support Service). In 2019 the Collen team in Sweden completed another charity cycle in support of two local charities: Västerås Stadsmission (Women at Risk and Homelessness Support Service) & KF Heros (Para-Athletics).  Collen project team in Frankfurt will participate in this year’s cycle in support of local charity: Hilfe für krebskranke Kinder Frankfurt (Children & Young Adults Cancer Support Service)

We are immensely proud of what has been achieved in the 4 years, both for the much-needed funds raised for worthy causes and for the positive buzz created within the company when the cycle events roll round each year. 

This year’s proceeds are in aid of local charities in Ireland, Germany and Sweden:

1) Sean O Casey Community Centre (Youth & Senior Citizen Support Service)
2) St Joseph's Primary School
3) Aoibhneas (Women & Children Refuge Centre)
4) The Light House (Homeless Support Service)
5) Inner City Helping Homeless
6) CROI (Heart Disease & Stroke Support)
7) See Change and Shine (Ending Mental Health Stigma and Mental Health Frontline Support)
8) Strange Boat Donor Foundation (Circle of Life, Commemorative Garden)
9) The Forget-Me-Nots Choir (Community Choir particularly for those affected by dementia & memory loss)
10) St. Vincent's Foundation (St Anne's Unit, St Vincent's Hospital)
11) The Light House Club (Well-being Support within the Construction Industry)
12) KF Heros Sweden (Para-Athletics)
13) Västerås stadsmission (Women at Risk and Homelessness Support Service)
14) Hilfe für krebskranke Kinder Frankfurt (Children & Young Adults Cancer Support Service)


We would like to  thank our Sponsors whose generosity and support will have such a positive effect on these charities: 
Microsoft, Grange Construction & Roofing Co. Ltd, Linesight, Jan Janssens & Company, Kirby Group Engineering, Kingspan Group, Leonard Engineering Ltd, STS Group, Lynskey Engineering Ltd, McKeon Bros, MaStab GmbH, MSB-Bauunternehmung GmbH, O’Grady Hire Ltd, PJ Personnel, Kendra Civil Engineering Ltd, Salboheds Construction & Civil Engineering AB, O’Reilly Concrete, BenBau Management GmbH, Writech Industrial Services Ltd, DVS Development Ltd and Borgel Elementbau GmbH.