PrintIT Reseller - issue 66

PRINT IT RESELLER.UK 45 VOX POP continued... Jonathan Whitworth always leads the way with fundraising challenges including the Wigan 5k and 10k runs, the 50 mile Wigan Bike Ride, for which Develop is also the principal sponsor; and the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge. “This year, Andrew Critchlow, Develop’s Technical Director ran in the London Marathon in aid of Joining Jack and other members of the team are training for additional challenges over the year.” Mark Bailey: “They are crucial! We make one cash donation per year (around Christmas) to a local charity, selected by staff ballot. The rest of our charity work is done by staff, supported by EBM. For example, in July, two of our team conducted a skydive for various mental health charities. EBM covered the cost of the jump so that 100 per cent of the funds raised went direct to the charities, gave them the day out of the office to do the jump without taking it from their holiday allowance, and promoted it heavily on our social media platforms to help with fundraising.” Joe Doyle: “We’ve got a symbiotic relationship with GSF and Annodata derives as much out of the partnership as the Foundation does. We’ve hosted a number of events at which GSF- sponsored Olympic medal winners have given presentations to our staff and presented their stories about how they’ve overcome adversity to achieve international sporting success. For example, at one of our events we had the pleasure of hosting Scott Durant MBE, who won gold for GB in rowing at Rio 2016, Lutalo Muhammad MBE, a highly decorated British taekwondo athlete, and successful in business, you need to do the right thing by your employees, customers, the environment and wider society, which is where charitable giving comes in.” Simone Hindmarch, Co-founder and Managing Director, Commercial Group : “We have done this through Commercial Foundation, which we set up in 2015. All our team want to be able to give back to their community, especially at a local level. They also want to help disadvantaged young people who aren’t in the same privileged position. Sam, one of the first to go through the Foundation programme, won Print Apprentice of the Year.” Nick Dabanovic: “Our employees regularly take part in charity events, not only for our official charities, but also supporting ad-hoc causes and the whole company supports them in their efforts which we find unites staff at the various ITS offices around the world.” James Abrahart: “We fully support our employees in any fundraising activities, giving them time to train and participate in everything from charity bike rides, bake sales and football matches, whether it is on an individual or corporate level. In addition, our staff are also invited to promote, donate to, and volunteer with the Altodigital charities we have chosen to work with.” Glenn Kershaw: “An annual programme of fundraising events is organised in which staff can volunteer to take part. Pamela Relph MBE, a double Paralympic rowing champion. This sort of exposure to world-class athletes and their experiences has really helped to inspire our employees and drive them forward to better-support the business.” Simone Hindmarch: “Our employees get involved in the Foundation, running workshops, advising on mental and physical health, helping with CVs and mock interviews, and providing work experience. They also spend time chatting and mentoring. “The Foundation moved next door to Commercial in 2018, which means we can get much more involved with the programme, and with the young people going through it. Our team recommends the Foundation print offering to customers, friends and family, which helps by generating income. “We also run Angel Days, where staff can take one day a year to support the charity of their choice. This includes collecting charity money, supporting people who race for charity, raising money generally. “We also have a nominated charity which we support every year. This year it’s the cancer charity Maggie’s, which offers free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their families and friends. We support them financially via a Commercial lottery. “This year a team of seven cyclists rode 500 miles in five days between our offices to raise money for Versus Arthritis. This was to support Aaron George, who came through the Foundation and worked in Commercial before having to give up due to his arthritis. So far the team have raised over £16,000.” We also run Angel Days, where staff can take one day a year to support the charity of their choice. This includes collecting charity money, supporting people who race for charity, raising money generally PrintIT Reseller: How do your employees get involved? Simone Hindmarch James Abrahart