Staff from several Bristol hotels took to the city’s streets last weekend to raise money for several charities which work in and around the city.
They joined thousands of runners of all ages and abilities taking part in the annual Great Bristol 10K and Half Marathon. Among them was Ahad Vahabzadeh, Manager of the DoubleTree by Hilton Bristol City Centre, who was running in aid of The Grand Appeal — this year’s chosen charity of the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA), of which he is a prominent member.
With donations still coming in, Ahad has raised at least £350 for The Grand Appeal, which supports Bristol Children’s Hospital.
He wasn’t alone in taking on the challenge — nine of his colleagues from DoubleTree by Hilton Bristol City Centre also took part, running in support of MND Association, the charity chosen by the hotel.
He said: “It was inspiring to see so many of us challenge ourselves to complete the event for such worthy causes. It was a remarkable day spent with my colleagues, sharing such an experience. I am grateful for everyone’s efforts, and I also want to thank everyone who came to support us on the day.”
It was Ahad’s seventh Bristol 10K and he said he will do it again next year, but his hotel was not the only BHA one who had staff taking part in the event.
Matthew Grech-Smith, Aleksandra Nalba and Andrew Davis, from the Hilton Garden Inn, Bristol, raised £500 for the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, while Ben Gay, from Harbour Hotel Bristol, raised £238 for Cancer Research UK and Alison Mansfield from Clayton Hotel raised £617 for Leukemia Care.
Meanwhile a team of seven from The Bristol Hotel ran the half marathon with another two running the 10k race. Four of them raised just over £800 for the Young Bristol charity while the others raised valuable funds for their own chosen charities.
Ahad said: “Although we were running for different charities, taking part in the event still brought out a tremendous sense of camaraderie among colleagues from several Bristol hotels, who are always looking at ways of giving back to our communities.”
To find out more about the Bristol Hoteliers Association, visit: www.bristol-hoteliers.co.uk
