TSB Bank Manager, Chris Hales, walked to the TSB branch in Ross from his home in Hereford on Monday, September 17th.

Chris told the Ross Gazette how every TSB branch chooses a charity to fundraise for, often relating to local needs or causes close to the employees’ hearts. Ross’ TSB, this year, is raising money for West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Chris said: “As a company, we are always trying to come up with new ways to raise money. Our directors are planning on using static bikes to cycle 297 miles, which is the distance between all of the TSB branches in the country.”

Originally, Chris decided he would walk to work one day, a distance of around 16 miles, to raise donations. He told the Ross Gazette: “To add a bit of spice, some of my colleagues decided that I would have to aim to get to the office by 9am.”

Chris left his home at 4.50am, and made it into the office by 10am, raising a total of £250.

He told the Ross Gazette: “Currently, our aim for this month is £400. We want to raise £2500 this year, because that is how much it costs to send out the West Midlands’ helicopter.”

Chris said: “I want to say thank you to everyone for all of the support - customers, TSB staff, and my family. We got over 300 likes on social media, which is more than ever before. Thank you to my wife who got up with me in the early hours before I began my walk. My son rang me before he went to school and I had just walked through Harwood. His call kept me going.”

TSB have also had a bake sale, and look forward to raising further funds at Ross-on-Wye’s Christmas Fair, where West Midlands Ambulance Service will have a helicopter pod to raise awareness.See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.