As our people gear up to tackle the Kirby Way Cycle challenge again this year, we catch up with Senior Planning Manager Peter Kearns in our latest #PeopleFirst article.  

For the last number of years, Peter has been our dedicated organiser, coordinating Get-Fit Challenges to support people in reaching their fitness goals, through activities such as running, walking and cycling. This month he’s preparing our people in the run-up the Kirby Way Cycle as they cover either 50km or 100km by bike, or run a 10km circular route, starting and ending at our new off-site manufacturing facility in Portlaoise.

“It’s a labour of love. Every year we hold virtual challenges for people who want to improve their health and fitness. We usually get around 100 people taking part, with every person setting their own goals. We rally around each other to encourage, support, and cheer each other on,” explains Peter, who has worked for Kirby for 14 years.

Initiatives like Get-Fit Challenge and the Kirby Way Cycle were praised by the assessors of Kirby’s recent Investors in People (IIP) ‘We Invest in Wellbeing’ accreditation, with the company taking home Gold and over 90% of colleagues agreeing that the company is committed to creating an environment that supports people’s health and wellbeing.

Peter is part of the committee that is planning and organising the Kirby Way Cycle on 30^th August, he says: “We have people taking part who have never cycled before. This is the third year we have run the Kirby Way Cycle. It’s a great team bonding experience, and an opportunity for people to come together from across Europe and the UK and raise money for charity.”

The chosen charity partners for this year’s event are the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation and St. John’s Ward at Children’s Health Ireland, Crumlin. Kirby is aiming to raise €20,000 this year to donate to the worthy causes.

The Kirby Way Cycle Challenge started in 2022 and has so far raised more than €500,000 for international charities. Operations Director at Kirby, Mikey Ryan, who leads the preparations for the cycle, says: “The event has become a pillar within Kirby for pulling people together outside of work.

There’s a great sense of camaraderie, and it’s a lot of fun, especially since everyone is decked out in Kirby cycling gear for the day.

Staff came from all over Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe for the cycle last year. It’s a wonderful way to meet colleagues you’ve been working with for years and catch up.”

He adds the event played to the company’s strengths of meticulous planning, team building and getting everyone across the line.

Peter agrees: “At Kirby we wear one jersey, we are one team, and we work together to succeed.”

We ask what motivates Peter to get involved not only with planning the event, but also helping people to Get-Fit.

“I am not going to lie, it takes a lot to organise the Get-Fit challenges, but every year I am asked when we are going to do it again. You can see how much people get out of it, and it’s not the ultra-marathon runners that we target the sessions to. Most of the time, it’s just about having the momentum and the support to get outside and put one foot in front of the other. For many people, including me, that can be the start of a healthier and happier lifestyle. We know that movement is incredibly important in maintaining good mental health and resilience, and with a Kirby team cheering you on, it can be the push that people need to make a change.”

We ask him his highlight on the Kirby Get-Fit journey, “We organised a Christmas fun run across four of our office locations. People geared up to run or walk 5km. 100 people took part. It was great to see the impact the routines we’d created could have.

“Get-Fit all started when myself, Brian Burke, and Mikey Ryan took on the Sea2Summit Challenge, and I was tasked with coming up with a fitness programme to prepare us all, and I haven’t looked back.”

Peter is well-versed in planning complex projects. As a Senior Planning Manager, he works with regional teams to develop and optimise the programmes across our projects in Ireland.

He started his career at Kirby as an AutoCAD Designer after college. “I am a logical and practical thinker, and it was put to me that I might join the newly formed planning team. I was the second planner to work at Kirby!”

When we ask him what his day to day looks like, he says: “We engage at every stage with the project teams, we have planners that work from first principles, interpreting drawings to create the most efficient programmes for clients. We are always realistic and make sure what we propose is achievable.”

It’s Peter’s planning skills and enthusiasm for fitness that make him a core part of the team that plans and executes the cycle challenge.

Follow the team’s journey on social media and donate to the challenge here.