When I took on the additional role of Charity Ambassador in 2024, I didn’t quite know how it would all come together. We raised an amazing amount in 2024 which set the bar very high for our second year – but we certainly haven’t let that stop us!
May fundraising
May saw in some lovely weather, and with it the long-awaited skydives finally took flight. A huge well done to Inga Matukaltyte, Ingrida Sableviciene, Joe Rowe, Ben Williams, Nikolas Banks, Dill Lee, Lewis Sandle, Mohammed Tanveer, Dom Luksas, and Pam Stebbing.
The whole event has raised a fantastic £6,644 since those brave volunteers put their hands up to jump.
On the same weekend we also had The Incredible Hike 2025. This was an event organised by Children’s Hospice South West. Sean Baxter, Angela Babington, Katie Crumpton, Amy Nash and Katie Ovenden walked the (hilliest!) stretch of the South West Coast Path from Westward Ho! to Tintagel.
Over three days, the team and 28 other walkers covered 60 miles and 13,254 ft (4040m) of elevation. They enjoyed the beautiful sights of the English coast, whilst overcoming some of the most gruelling terrain the UK has to offer.
Everyone finished a bit blistered and aching but in high spirits – having raised a phenomenal £8,300 for Children’s Hospice South West. The event itself has raised over £73k for the hospices.
Someone else who has covered a huge number of miles in her walking boots is Jacqui Brownridge. A massive congratulations for raising £570 for her 100-mile(!) Flower of Suffolk long-distance walk which she completed in 35 hours and 38 minutes. A mammoth feat which she should be very proud of.
June fundraising
The 7th of June was a super Saturday for Goonvean Group at both ends of the country. Shaun Higgins, Kelsey Alderton, Mick Beever, Luke Woodhead, George Hobson and Oliver Everitt completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge in under 12 hours.
The team battled torrential rain and still managed to keep smiling and beat the time target on their 24-mile walk. They also absolutely smashed their fundraising target with a whopping £2,933 raised for The Rotherham Hospice.
In Barnstaple, a little more protected from the weather, the 12-hour martial arts marathon got underway early on Saturday morning. The event was run by Sensei Steve at Combat Jujitsu, who was joined by senseis from across Devon to run twelve 1-hour events – including our very own Richard Pincombe from NDE.
Open to all ages and abilities, the event showcased different martial arts. It was a huge success, raising over £2,500 for Children’s Hospice South West – including £1,000 of match funding from the Group.
Later in June, Emma Todd, Marketing Manager at Dura-ID Solutions, went for a dip in Lake Windermere for the Great North Swim 1-mile event. Emma completed the challenge in 1hr 22 minutes and raised a fabulous £285.
She was also daring enough to complete a skydive back in October 2024 for The Rotherham Hospice, raising a further £450 – huge congratulations to Emma. Who knows what her next challenge will be?
Fundraising across the Group
It’s been a bumper spring when it comes to charity events, with a grand total raised so far this year of £20,998! After the success of last year, the Group are looking forward to welcoming our colleagues to Cullompton Cricket Club for the second Goonvean Games to kick off the summer.
We know that charity support often comes from a place close to the heart. Whilst we have our selected charities of the year, we also want to acknowledge and celebrate in the achievements of our colleagues fundraising for other amazing causes.
Alan Kennedy from Equinoxx and his daughter Sarah took part in March for Men this June to raise awareness and funds for Prostate Cancer UK. Alan himself finished his own radiotherapy treatment a couple of weeks before the march. So far, he has raised £360 for this cause. To support Alan, please visit his donation page.
With the latest statistics showing 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer – and the fact it is one of the most survivable cancers if caught early enough – we encourage all our male employees to have a look at Prostate Cancer UK’s risk checker tool.
In September, Tom Henty, Paul Strevens, Kev Jenkins and Chris Welch from Dura-ID Solutions in Durham will be taking on the Great North Run. They will be running this half-marathon – and a 10k warm up in July – in aid of charities close to their hearts. Please visit their individual donation pages, which can be found below:
- Tom Henty – Red Sky Foundation
- Paul Strevens – Red Sky Foundation
- Kev Jenkins – Happy Days
- Chris Welch – Red Sky Foundation
Final thoughts
To summarise: we’ve had an awe-inspiring few months of fundraising across the Group. It really has highlighted the kind and wonderful people I get to work with. People who give up their weekends to train and take part in events, who put their all into raising fantastic sums of money for charity – and everyone within the Group who has supported these events by donating their hard-earned money too.
Having personally taken part in the Three Peaks Challenge last year and the Incredible Hike this year, it’s been lovely getting to know my colleagues outside of work – what else is there to do when you’re on a 7-hour training walk across Dartmoor? I also had a great morning with my son Stanley learning some Judo and Karate moves at the Dojo in Barnstaple – again, it was lovely to share in what people love to do outside of work.
Our charity fundraising is a true example of the Group living our values: caring about the fantastic charities we support, being courageous in the events and challenges we take part in, but mostly, giving us all an opportunity to connect with our communities and colleagues from across the Group and share in something special.
If you’re taking part in a challenge and would like to raise money for Children’s Hospice South West or The Rotherham Hospice, get in touch with Katie Ovenden at kovenden@goonveangroup.com and join our Group Fundraising Team!
