An Audenshaw-based company have completed a 24-hour fitness challenge in aid of Breast Cancer Now.

When a member of their team was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, AV International Solutions were hit with a shock like no other.

Debbie Sheridan was 47 when her local council carried out random checks for breast cancer to women below 50. She had no reason to believe that she had this disease but went along to be safe.

These routine checks picked up on her cancer, meaning Debbie was faced with surgery to remove the cells. She also endured radiotherapy but was thankfully given the all clear in 2020.

For the company, this news affected the whole team.

“Debbie is not only a colleague, but she is also part of the AV family. This was the first time any of us had experienced this dreadful disease being so close to home,” says Managing Director, Rachel O’Connell.

As a small group, AV International Solutions see themselves as family and decided to do everything in their power to support Debbie.

Their latest efforts to do this included a 24-hour office lock in in which the team vouched to complete fitness activities and push themselves further than they could imagine.

With a rowing machine, treadmill and exercise bike, the team decided to take it in turns to rotate around the various equipment and see how far they could travel.

Beginning at 11am on Thursday (21 October) and finishing at 11am on Friday (22 October), collectively the team managed to travel 272.6km, the distance from Audenshaw to Bristol.

Seeing the kindness of locals emerging during their challenge, the team were gifted meals to keep them energised from local restaurant The Indian Plaza.

“We’re so thankful to have had meals donated from The Indian Plaza too. They are a local company who heard about what we were doing and wanted to support us,” Rachel says.

AV also decorated their office with pink balloons and handmade torso candles by Scents in Stalybridge. These were the perfect ornaments to remind the team just what they were fighting for during their challenge.

Their challenge has ended just in time for the Wear It Pink day, which encourages everyone to sport pink attire to raise awareness for breast cancer.

The team have already raised an incredible £885 for Breast Cancer Now but are looking to continue to raise as much as possible.

You can donate to their page here. 

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper