CEF people power through the elements to support the EIC and Macmillan Cancer Support
Two brave team members from CEF – the UK’s expert supplier of electrical products and services with a network of 390 stores across the UK – are preparing to battle the elements to raise funds for the Electrical Industries Charity (EIC) and Macmillan Cancer Support. Charlie Harwood, Branch Manager, will be trekking across Arctic Finland for four days, while Steve Pope, General Manager, will be skydiving over the Gulf of Roses in Spain to raise money for both charities.
Steve is aiming to raise a minimum of £1,000 for the EIC by completing a skydive in May, with any additional monies raised going to Macmillan Cancer Support. He will head to Empuriabrava in Spain for his training, first jumping with an experienced professional, and then – following a three day training programme – braving a jump alone. Meanwhile, Charlie will be trekking across the Arctic Circle for four days in below freezing temperatures, with the goal of raising £1,500 for the EIC.
The EIC challenge is specifically to support Caz Dickinson – an employee in the electrical wholesaling industry – who collapsed and hit her head in 2009. She was diagnosed with a Grade Four brain haemorrhage, leaving her paralysed from the neck down and with irreversible brain damage. Caz and her family suffered an additional blow when her husband Mick was made redundant. With no income to cover hospital visits or the mortgage, the family lost their home in 2013. The EIC aims to raise £250,000 to secure a new house for the family and care for Caz for the rest of her life.
Macmillan Cancer Support is the corporate charity selected by CEF staff which the business will support until June 2019. The organisation has a primary ambition of reaching and improving the lives of everyone living with cancer and has recently embarked on a campaign to eliminate the stigma around cancer for those working in construction trades.
Discussing his challenge, Steve said:
Skydiving is something I’ve always wanted to try, and what better motivation to finally do it than to help support the Caz Dickinson cause. I’ve actually lost three stone while preparing for this – I’m really excited to finally take the plunge, especially on behalf of such worthy causes.
Charlie – an ECA Power Player winner at last year’s ED&I Expo – said:
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to do something truly amazing for such a good cause. I will be combating the elements as our team skis, hikes and perhaps crawls through the arctic conditions and temperatures below freezing to complete our challenge over four days. It sounds daunting, but myself and the team are really looking forward to it, and would welcome any donations which will help support Caz and her family.
To find out more about the EIC and Macmillan Cancer Support, visit www.electricalcharity.co.uk and www.macmillan.org.uk. To donate to either cause, search for CEF on www.justgiving.com or uk.virginmoneygiving.com.
For more information about CEF, the UK’s expert supplier of electrical products and services, visit www.CEF.co.uk.