Staff from the Newcastle Building Society staff have raised over £4,000 for a range of good causes after successfully pedaling their way to the end of a long-distance cycling challenge.

Dozens of staff from 19 of its branches and two head offices came together to try to cover the full 3,656km distance of the Tour De France on exercise bikes located in their respective offices around the Society’s heartland area.

At the end of a week-long series of events, the Society cyclists had smashed their target for the ‘Tour De Branch’ event by riding a combined distance of 4,119km.

And the riders had also raised over £4,000 for the local charities and organisations supported by each branch, with the total expected to rise as further sponsorship money comes in.

The Tour De Branch Challenge has been set up as part of NBS’s ongoing ‘Cornerstone of the Community’ campaign, through which individual branches provide support to organisations and good causes in their local areas, which include a range of community charities, hospices, schools and voluntary organisations.

Members of the Society’s board and executive team visited different branches through the week to encourage the riders and cover off some of the kilometres themselves.

Natalie Falkous, head of corporate social responsibility at the Society, said: “The warm summer weather made our Tour De Branch challenge even tougher for a lot of our riders, but we had lots of support from visiting customers and colleagues at each event, and everyone’s really pleased with both the distance we covered and the overall amount raised.

“Contributing to the communities in which we’re located is central to the way in which the Society operates, and the money raised across our branch network will enhance the support that our branches are already providing for projects in their communities.”