06 May 2008

Brookson is all set for a summer of charity work with a jam-packed fundraising calendar. Staff have been training hard in preparation for sponsored runs up and down the country, and one team member is even spending time in a Kosovan summer camp.

Kicking off the various initiatives is Brookson’s Business Development Manager Gordon Webb, who took part in the Stena Drilling Tartan 10km at Balmoral Castle on 26th April to raise an impressive £800 for SANDS (Stillborn and Neonatal Death Society). He has been running 10 miles every week and completed the race in around one hour one minute, beating his current personal best of one hour and six minutes.

Carolyn Arber in Brookson’s New Business Team is hitting the road on 18th May, running a half marathon to raise £500 for The Hospice of the Good Shepherd. Speaking about her chosen charity, Carolyn said: “I lost my Dad to cancer a few years ago and although he did not spend any time in a hospice I quickly realised the vital role they play in the lives of the terminally ill and their families. The understanding care, pain relief and symptom management they provide means that, crucially, each patient is treated as an individual. I would hate it if lack of funding was ever to compromise the wonderful care that hospices give.

“As I reached the milestone of 50 last year, I wanted to do something both worthwhile and personally challenging to help me through my midlife crisis and prove to myself that I was still young at heart!”

Having raised £250 for Children with Leukaemia, Annie Porter in Brookson’s accounts department, is taking part in the London BUPA 10km run on Monday 26th May. Annie chose this charity after a close friend lost her battle with leukaemia in 2005. She says: “I wanted to make more people aware of the disease and raise as much money as possible for the fantastic research that is done by Children with Leukaemia.”

Finally, Colin Horrabin of Brookson’s Customer Management Accounts team is flying out to Kosovo this summer to work in a summer camp in the city of Gjakova. Gjakova is in the south west of the country, and was heavily bombed during the 1999 conflict. Colin aims to raise a staggering £1500 for Samaritan’s Purse, which provides international relief through a number of partners and campaigns, to cover his costs and help fund the project. Colin has been involved with the charity for a number of years through Operation Christmas Child, perhaps better known as The Shoebox Appeal.

He said: “I’ve organised the packing of shoeboxes through my local church for years but have always been interested in delivering them as they bring such happiness to children who would otherwise not receive anything else at Christmas. When the opportunity arose to be involved in the summer camp in Kosovo, I jumped at the chance. The main challenge will definitely be the language – I intend to have a better grasp of Albanian by June, but thankfully we will have interpreters! It’s certainly set to be a memorable summer.”

Brookson’s managing director, Martin Hesketh, concludes: “It goes without saying that all at Brookson are extremely proud of our staff’s efforts to raise money for charity, and we are sure Gordon, Carolyn, Annie and Colin will reach their fundraising targets. I wish each one of them the very best of luck.”

Back to Listing