Directors '˜strive' with '¨Branson to raise £15k

Two Knaresborough business-owners have come back down to earth after taking part last week in the Virgin Strive Challenge alongside Richard Branson.
Sir Richard Branson (centre) was among 100 strivers  including Matt Welsh and Kieron Bakewell  who raised a total of £6m for Big Change, a charity for young people. (S)Sir Richard Branson (centre) was among 100 strivers  including Matt Welsh and Kieron Bakewell  who raised a total of £6m for Big Change, a charity for young people. (S)
Sir Richard Branson (centre) was among 100 strivers  including Matt Welsh and Kieron Bakewell  who raised a total of £6m for Big Change, a charity for young people. (S)

Matt Welsh and Kieron Bakewell, co-founders of Knaresborough furniture company Naughtone, raised £15,000 for Big Change, a charity that develops powerful ideas to create alternative ways of supporting young people.

The Virgin Strive Challenge unites entrepreneurs to challenge themselves by ‘striving’ from Mount Etna to the summit of Mount Blanc.

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Sales director Matt Welsh and creative director Kieron Bakewell were part of a group of 100 ‘Strivers’ that included Richard Branson, his son Sam and nephew Noah Devereux, who is director of the Strive Challenge.

Kieron embarked upon a gruelling five-day mountain cycle from Monaco to Tignes, including many of the iconic Tour de France climbs, while Matt took to the Alps for a five-day hike from Tignes to Chamonix.

Kieron said: “I’d been apprehensive about taking part in the Virgin Strive Challenge for some time but now it’s done! What an amazing group of people all raising huge amounts of money for the Big Change charity.”