Bibby Financial Services Dragon Boat Race

Supporters fundraising stories

Corporate challengers 2025

Our corporate supporters went above and beyond in 2025 to raise money for their local hospice.

At Katharine House, we love it when our supporters get outside their comfort zone and take on a challenge to raise vital funds for the hospice and, in 2025, our local business community didn’t disappoint. It was a busy 12 months, and an array of activities were undertaken by all: cycling, running, epic walks and skydiving to name just a few!

Keeping it local

Every May, people in our local community take part in the Banbury Triathlon and in 2025 Pete Critchley from Higham Critchley Barrows and a team from Hawkins Group took on the running, swimming and cycling challenge. This was the second time that Hawkins had taken part in the challenge and although it was the first time Pete had signed up, as a keen cyclist and runner, he enjoyed the challenge and trying something new. Between them, they raised over £1,100 for the hospice.

Not content with just one challenge

In 2025, Allan Love from Website Energizers decided to take on not one, but three adrenaline-fuelled challenges to raise funds for Katharine House and raised over £2,000.

He started with the Extreme Abseil Challenge in April, descending 127 metres down the National Lift Tower in Northampton, followed by the Wingwalking Challenge in June, strapped to the top of a plane flying at 1,000 feet. Finally, in September, he completed a Skydive from 13,000 feet, free-falling through the clouds at 120mph.

“Each challenge pushed me out of my comfort zone and was done in honour of those close to me and the amazing work of Katharine House.” Allan Love

As our charity partners, every year the team at BRITA take on an epic challenge to raise funds for Katharine House and come together as a team. In September, a group of eight employees took part in a skydive, followed by Cal and Lily taking on the Oxford Half Marathon in October. To make the run more interesting (and slightly tougher), Cal dressed up as BRITAny, a giant water droplet. Together, the team raised over £2,000.

Person dressed as a large water droplet stands next to a woman wearing the Oxford half medal and wearing a yellow Katharine House Hospice T-shirt.

“It was such a challenging and rewarding experience, as it was my first run ever longer than 10k! It made it even more worthwhile knowing that the money raised was going to a great charity like Katharine House Hospice.” Cal

Endurance and team building

GRAF UK kicked off the year with a triathlon from their Glasgow to Banbury office as part of the Accumulator Challenge. A team of 12 took on the five-day challenge, braving the cold winter weather and the gruelling terrain over 400 miles, passing iconic landmarks such as the Kingston Bridge and historic dockyards. The team raised over £25,000 and won the inaugural GRAF UK Extreme Challenge Award as part of the Accumulator Challenge.

In June, during the heatwave, staff from Wise Investment and Evenlode Investment in the Cotswolds, took part in a 13-mile memory walk. They organised the walk in memory of their friend and colleague, Amanda, who passed away at the hospice in February and raised over £25,000! That same month, Bibby Financial Services took part in the Bibby’s annual Dragon Boat Race and raised just under £3,000 for the hospice.

When we hit the autumn, we held one of our biggest cycling challenges ever: London to Paris. During September, the challenge saw a team of 42 people cycling all the way from Tower Bridge in London to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, in just three days. The local business community did not disappoint, with staff from Higham Crichley Barrows, Hella Ltd, Silbury and Handelsbanken putting on their Lycra and cycling the 186-mile route. The event was such a huge success that we will be doing it all again in 2027!

To celebrate their 25th birthday, Fisher German organised The Big 25 Challenge between May and October, with all 25 branches supporting a local charity of their choice. We were delighted when the Banbury branch chose to support Katharine House. As part of the challenge, the Banbury team had to make a 185-mile trek from Banbury to Exeter without using motorised transport. The team walked, ran and cycled their way to the south west of England and raised over £2,400.

Virtual challenges

Katharine House are excited to launch their first virtual challenge this year, Pace Around the World, and our corporate supporters have been an inspiration.

During the 2024/25 Accumulator Challenge, five trainees from SE Solicitors took on a 24-hour virtual cycle ride and, in keeping with the cycling theme, Howden Insurance organised a five-day virtual cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End. In the summer, Seccombe Court Care Home held their annual Sports Day fundraiser and also took on the virtual trek from John O’Groats to Lands’ End, through a variety of activities, including running, rowing and cycling. Some of the team also travelled to Wales and reached the summit of Mount Snowdon as part of the Sports Day challenge.

Already signed up

We are thrilled that staff from Wise Investment and Tugela People have already committed to supporting Katharine House in 2026 and are taking on Trek China in October. Plus, a team member from CPB UK will be taking on the Three Peaks Challenge as part of the Accumulator Challenge.

So, do you think you have what it takes to get involved with a challenge in 2026 and support your local hospice? You can do it as an individual or as part of a team. At Katharine House we have a variety of events and challenges lined up this year or maybe you fancy doing your own challenge, like a Wolf Run or Ultra Marathon.

To find out more, get in touch by emailing [email protected].