Twelve Notting Hill Housing (NHH) employees peddled off on a 200 mile charity bike ride from City Hall this morning after raising £102,000 for charity. The group, who will cycle from London to Paris, more than doubled their original target of £50,000.

The bike ride is part of Notting Hill Housing’s 50th anniversary fundraising initiative - the 50:50 campaign -  which allows tenants living in poverty to access its emergency hardship fund. Funds are allocated to buy necessities such as basic furniture when moving from a hostel to a flat, help to pay heating bills in the coldest months for older tenants or provide smart clothes for an unemployed tenant to go for a job interview.

The team of cyclists has undergone a rigorous nine month training regime and are funding the trip independently, meaning that 100% of the funds donated will go to directly to the hardship fund. The group will be led by team captain and Director of Development at NHH, Ed Badke, whose enthusiasm and motivation has resulted in an impressive response from potential sponsors.

Keith Young from sponsor Allenbuild comments: ‘All at Allenbuild wish the Notting Hill Housing London to Paris bike ride team good weather, flat smooth downhill terrain and a following wind with clear traffic-free roads all the way to Paris! We all wish the team the very best and hope they enjoy the event which is being held for a very worthy cause.’

Mary Harvey, Director of Charitable Fundraising at NHH adds: ‘Fundraising for this event has been incredibly successful thanks to our generous sponsors. I am full of admiration for the team for taking on such a challenge in their own time and at their own expense.  We’re particularly grateful to our IT support company, Advanced 365, who came through yesterday with a donation of £5,000, which pushed us above the £100,000 mark.’

To find out more about the NHH 50th anniversary campaign, visit www.nhh50.com

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Notes to editors

Notting Hill Housing (NHH) is one of London’s largest housing associations with more than 27,000 homes across the capital.  It is a social enterprise with the purpose of providing affordable housing for those who could not otherwise afford them.   

Founded in 1963, today NHH has assets worth more than £2 billion, has an annual turnover of more than £300 million and has offices across London in King's Cross, Hammersmith and Vauxhall.  It offers a range of tenancies to suit the needs of London’s diverse population.

The group has several businesses including:

·         Notting Hill Housing Trust - provides social, affordable and intermediate market rented housing 

·         Notting Hill Home Ownership – the commercial arm of the organisation offering a range of property solutions including shared ownership sales and re-sales, open market sales, commercial property sales and leasehold management

·         Notting Hill Pathways – provides personal care and support across three service types (extra care, supported living and day centre services) and offers a range of housing options for people who need additional support.

·         Home Options - works in partnership with local authorities across London to house tenants on shorter term leases

NHH has won several awards for creative, sustainable and high-quality design. It strives to be innovative and has achieved many firsts - it was the first housing association to pioneer shared ownership and the first to set up a women’s refuge.

Now in its 50th year, NHH is the seventh largest developer in London alongside some of the country’s largest developers – Berkeley, Taylor Wimpey and Barratt.

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