A TEAM of cycle enthusiasts from a Swindon vehicle company will forego the Channel tunnel when they bid au revoir to Swindon and make for Paris on bikes.

Twenty staff from vehicle leasing and fleet management firm, Arval UK, will cycle from their Windmill Hill base to their head office in Rueil-Malmaison, Paris, using pedal power to reach the French capital in just three days.

The team will begin their cycling odyssey in Swindon on Saturday(June13) at 9am and aim to arrive in Rueil on Monday, June 15.

Cycling for a distance of 225 miles coupled with an overnight ferry ride, the team’s scenic route will take them through Kent and the small villages and medieval market towns of Northern France.

Team Arval hopes to raise more than £10,000 for the two worthy Wiltshire causes they have selected – Wroughton-based charity Prospect Hospice and the Finlay Foundation in Devizes.

CSR manager and Team Arval cyclist, Tracey Fuller said: “Our employees at Arval are always raising money and doing things to help make a difference in our local communities, so it was no surprise that when one of our staff suggested a charity bike ride between our Swindon office and head office in Paris, we had lots of people wanting to take part.

“An experienced cyclist employee and councillor, Keith Williams has planned the trip, and all the cyclists have been actively involved in all the fundraising activities, with the full support of our senior management team, not forgetting a support crew who are also Arval employees. Both charities mean a lot to our people and this kind of employee-driven challenge reinforces our approach and ongoing commitment to our corporate social responsibility strategy.”

Arval are no strangers to the London to Paris cycle route. In 2008 a team from the firm cycled the 225 miles in four days and raised more than £10,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support UK.

Other recent fundraisers by Arval include a dress-down day, cake sale, bingo, recycling old company mobile phones and a race night supported by Coleview Community centre. Arval prides itself on being a cycle-friendly company with weekly rides from its offices to encourage employees to get in the saddle.

To donate visit justgiving.com/arvalcyclists or justgiving.com/arvalcyclists1