British Gas is hoping to raise £1m for Great Ormond Street with its Swims Britain challenge.

British Gas is hoping to raise £1m for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity this summer, with the British Gas “Swims Britain” challenge, which aims to encourage thousands of its staff members to take part in swimming challenges around the UK.

Challenges will take place throughout the UK, from Windsor in the south of England, up to Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland.

“It’s a massive challenge,” said British Gas sponsorship manager Matthew Leopold. “We want to get all of the British Gas team involved in this huge charity swimming event, from office and sales staff, to the engineers in the power stations and the people out driving their Ford Transit vans every day.”

As I reported recently, British Gas is a big fan of the Ford Transit and recently purchased 520 new Transits, so what better vehicle to support the Swims Britain challenge than a customised Ford Transit Custom?

“We wanted a vehicle that British Gas staff could relate to but could provide added comfort and flexibility, and the Ford Tourneo Custom fits the bill perfectly,” said Matthew.

The aquatic-themed Ford Tourneo Custom, a long wheelbase model, is powered by a Dagenham-built 125PS 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine. The vehicle is well-equipped for the UK tour, with nine seats, a 230-volt power converter and Ford’s satellite navigation system.