This summer, trade charity Hospitality Action challenged the country to travel 30,000 Miles To Hell and Back – and they were blown away by the response! Not only did they complete the challenge, they completely smashed their targets. More than 1,000 participants travelled 37,500 miles and raised over £165,000 (including Gift Aid, offline donations and sponsorship) to date. Absolutely phenomenal!
The To Hell and Back challenge followed on from the success of last year’s 20,000 Mile Hospitality Challenge, where over 500 participants raised over £75,000. In the year since, hospitality workers have experienced unimaginable hardship: lives and livelihoods have been lost; mental health has been challenged; businesses have closed. The past year has been nothing short of hellish.
Sponsored by Caterer.com, CH&Co, jellybean, Umbrella Training and supported by Champagne Taittinger, this year we went even bigger and better by challenging the country to travel an epic 30,693 miles to virtually visit four hells on earth: towns called Hell in California, Michigan and Norway; and Hell Creek in Montana. Crucially, this was a return journey. Yes, they were heading to Hell - but coming back again, as a team, just as the UK's resilient hospitality industry will be back in full attack.
The challenge launched on the morning of Thursday 10th June, with hellishly hot weather to suit the occasion. As the challenge began the virtual map lit up, with everyone totting up the miles at a feverish rate. By day 2 they were racing towards the first stop on the longest leg of the challenge to reach Hell, California.
There was no stopping everyone as the week went on, with people continuing to sign up to take part and clocking up miles at a devilish rate as they headed towards Hell in Norway, then Michigan and Hell Creek in Montana. The donations kept pouring in as everyone aimed to reach their personal targets, with great camaraderie amongst their teammates as people from the hospitality industry worked towards one goal.
Everyone cycled, walked and ran so much that the 30,000 mile target was completed a whole day ahead of schedule – just in time for the hellish heat to break and the heavens to open. By the close of the challenge the target had been smashed, with over 37,500 miles covered by more than 1,000 participants and donations of over £165,000. The funds raised will help to support many employees of our much-loved hotels, coffee shops, pubs and cafes who have been some of the worst hit by the outbreak of Covid-19.
Mark Lewis, Chief Executive, Hospitality Action said: “It says much about hospitality’s will to overdeliver & delight, that the challenge mileage is a full 7,500 miles past the finish line. Our industry has been through inconceivable adversity, hospitality folk are struggling like never before. And too many people have struggled in isolation with their mental health. Together, we can and will recover. Yes, we’ve been to hell this last year, but together we’ll come back from it stronger than ever.”
Visit hospitalityaction.org.uk for further information and to make a donation.
