Adyen, the global financial technology platform of choice for leading businesses, has announced that it has raised £10,500 for the charity, Change Please.

A peloton of 17 cyclists rode 55 km to raise the funds in aid of the social enterprise seeking to end homelessness, arranged as part of Adyen’s sponsorship of the Tour of Britain. The team was made up of pro, experienced and novice riders that included Adyen employees and partners from the retail industry including Tory Burch and Brompton.

Speaking before the cycle, Charleen Wood, Tory Burch’s Senior Director for IT, Europe and Global Retail said, “I haven’t been on a road bike for longer than I care to remember. It’s a challenge but nothing compared to what the homeless go through. For me, taking part in this ride is important. I have spent time volunteering with homeless people local to where I live near Cambridge. The work that Change Please does is essential. It is genuinely life-changing. Our services are stretched but enabling people through training and getting them into jobs and giving them a sense of purpose is phenomenal”

#AdyenHeroes were proud to wear the jerseys with ‘Unsung Heroes’ printed on the back, to raise awareness of the people behind the scenes in organisations like Change Please that work so hard to improve the lives of others.

“Our charity partner, Change Please, deserves more recognition for the work they do to end homelessness, and our riders were incredibly motivated to cycle 55 km and raise money for an organisation that makes a big impact on people’s lives,” commented Colin Neil, Managing Director, Adyen UK. 

“We sponsored the Tour of Britain because we’re inspired by the role of the domestique in cycling, the people who work for their team’s benefit in order to win the race,” Neil added. “In many ways we see similarities between the domestiques and ourselves, as we work with technologies that drive improvements across the businesses we partner with, so that they can get on with what they do best; serving customers and growing their businesses. These are the unsung heroes of the business world.”

“We exist to change people’s lives for the better, a social enterprise that brews coffee and helps homeless people to find employment as baristas,” said Camal Ezel, Founder, Change Please. “We believe it’s important not to just take people off of the streets, but to also equip them with the necessary skills so that they are empowered to improve their own lives.

“The money Adyen’s raised will go directly to the people who need it the most, affecting real change as the cost-of-living continues to squeeze income and opportunity with four people set to be trained as baristas and have their lives changed forever.”