A new year workplace challenge that started to help motivate colleagues into getting active in 2019 has turned into a fundraiser that has already raised in excess of £4,000 for charity.
The Nisa Miles Challenge was launched in January to encourage staff to be healthier and walk, run or jog their way through the first month of the year to hit a target of 25, 50, 75 or 100 miles.
Almost 90 colleagues entered the event and by the end of January well over 4,000 miles were recorded.
So great has been the enthusiasm for the challenge it has been extended into a Quarter 1 challenge with more colleagues joining in and others setting themselves new targets.
And to make it more worthwhile, Nisa’s charity Making a Difference Locally (MADL) has pledged to match miles with money and will donate £1 per mile completed to Alzheimer’s Society.
Steve Portess (pictured), Nisa IT analyst and the brains behind the initiative, said: “I’ve been totally overwhelmed by how many colleagues have got on board. There are people who previously were barely walking a few miles a month who have walked, jogged or run miles and miles, hitting their target and setting new ones throughout the month.
“It’s fantastic to see people getting active and seeing them all going out for walks together in their lunchbreaks. And now we are raising money for charity at the same time which is the icing on the cake.”
Head of Charity at Nisa Kate Carroll said: “We wanted to recognise everybody’s efforts and matching miles with pounds seemed like a brilliant way to do it.
“Now, everyone who is taking part isn’t just getting exercise and fresh air, they are also fundraising for a fantastic cause which does wonderful work for people affected by dementia.”
MADL will match fund the miles completed throughout February and March with a final total to be donated to Alzheimer’s Society at the end of March.
