TO mark 50 years in business in 2015, staff at Modern Tyres cycled 1,000 miles across Ireland to raise funds for Make-A-Wish UK, the charity that grants wishes to enrich the lives of children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions.
It meant the Enniskillen-based company was able to donate £5,000 to the charity, in addition to €5,000 raised for Make-A-Wish Ireland.
With 41 branches across Ireland - 30 in Northern Ireland and 11 in the Republic - Modern Tyres devised an all-Ireland 1,000 mile cycle challenge that travelled across its depots, and involved a minimum of 25 miles being cycled by each depot.
Stephen Shaw from Modern Tyres said: "Fifty years in business is a huge milestone and we wanted to give something back to the communities in which we operate.
"Our employees nominated Make-A-Wish and the 1,000 miles cycle challenge really galvanised our fundraising efforts, with our staff digging deep, both in terms of the funds raised and the determination required to clock up their depot's miles.
"We're thrilled that the funds raised will go towards helping to grant wishes in both Ireland and Northern Ireland."
Make-A-Wish was established in 1986, inspired by the story of Chris Greicius, a young boy fighting leukaemia in the US. Today, Make-A-Wish has granted over 9,000 wishes for children and young people across the UK.
Gail McKee from Make-A-Wish said the efforts of the Modern Tyres staff had been "incredible".
"I would like to thank all of the budding cyclists from Modern Tyres for helping the wishes of deserving children and young people come true," she said.
