ASK Italian raises £500,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital

ASK Italian has now raised £500,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital, putting it halfway to its target of £1m, which will go towards building a new surgery centre.

It reached the milestone following the ASK Italian summer triathlon on 10 July, which saw teams from ASK Italian restaurants throughout the country as well as suppliers, friends and family compete in a grand fundraising event held at Dorney Lake in Berkshire - the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games venue.

A team from ASK Italian in Glasgow took third place, narrowly beaten by teams from two of the restaurant group's suppliers, Invigia and Breezefree. There was also an Individual Novice Triathlon, as well as an Individual Sprint Triathlon. Donal MacIntyre was on-hand to help the athletes with their warm-up and fire the starting gun, with Chris Hollins handing out the prizes and joining in with the BBQ which rounded off the day.

Sarah Norris, account manager at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity said: "We're delighted to have ASK Italian's continued support. The money raised by the ASK Italian Summer Triathlon will help to fund the hospital's new surgery centre, due to open in 2017. The new centre will include brand new kitchen, dining and play areas for young patients and their families from across the UK."

ASK Italian, owned by Gondola Holdings, has 110 restaurants throughout the country. It was named 'Best Italian Restaurant' in the 2013 Pizza and Pasta Association Awards.