A team of four senior managers – including Simon Owens from DS Smith’s Launceston site – has completed a 289-mile cycle, kayak and run challenge from Brussels to London, raising more than £70,000 for Heart Research UK and Cancer Research UK.

The eight-day pursuit began at the packaging and supply chain specialist’s European head office in Belgium. Simon Owens and the team cycled 170 miles from Roeselare to Calais, kayaked 19 miles across the English Channel, and completed the challenge with a 100 mile run from Rye to DS Smith’s Group head office in London.

Due to severe weather conditions, the team was forced to cut their Channel crossing short after only nine miles, but Simon and the team completed the remaining distance on a rowing machine.

In a show of solidarity with those taking part in the charity challenge, 606 employees from DS Smith’s 30 UK sites also participated in their own step-a-thon challenge, taking 54,474,543 steps in total, the equivalent to 25,793 miles, during the course of the seven-day event.