The whole of the UK’s IBM i community has been invited to join staff at LANSA on this year’s Palace- to-Palace charity bike ride.

A flagship annual fixture to raise funds for The Princes Trust, the event features 4,000 cyclists riding 45 miles from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle. It takes place on Sunday, October 5.

Team LANSA took part last year (pictured) and raised almost £3,000. Keen to raise more this year, they decided to invite all i users/fanatics (they mostly amount to the same thing) along for the ride.

The St. Albans, Hertfordshire-based development tools specialist will cover admin fees for all volunteers. All riders will also get a customised cycling jersey to keep as a souvenir of the day. In return, The Prince’s Trust asks that each rider raises a minimum of £120 in sponsorship.

Ian Piddock, LANSA’s EMEA head of marketing, took part in last year’s ride and told PowerWire: “We want to attract as many people as possible from the IBM i community. Don’t worry, we will not be taking laptops with us and forcing anyone to sit through a demo of LANSA stuff. This is about raising as much money as possible for a good cause.”

LANSA is a member of The Prince’s Trust’s Technology Leadership Group, a corporate social responsibility initiative for companies and individuals from the UK’s technology, media and telecoms sectors. The group is dedicated to raising funds, support and awareness to reduce the number of young people facing long-term unemployment in Britain.

LANSA developer Angela Scannell is coordinating this year’s team and says: “This is a great opportunity to help raise money for The Trust, keep fit, and enjoy a day out in London. It is not a race, so you can cycle at your own pace. Breaks are allowed and refreshments will be provided. If I can do it, I’m sure you can too!”

While that’s almost certainly not the case for this correspondent, if you’d like to join Team LANSA for their cycling charity challenge, drop Angela a line via email (angela.scannell <at> lansa.co.uk) or phone her on 01727 790342.

Good luck to all involved!