Eurocell Building Plastics Donates £500 to St Luke's School

Eurocell Building Plastics South Eastern Division has recently donated £500 to St Luke's School in Redbourn Hertfordshire. St Luke's is a county special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. It also has units for pupils who have, in addition to their learning difficulties, high functioning autism/asperges syndrome or hearing impairment. The money has been used to provide the school football team with a new strip as well as to help support out of school activities. Warren Haworth, Eurocell Building Plastics (pictured) presented the cheque at a recent school assembly to Gabrielle Barnham, St Luke's School Community Liason Officer.

St Luke's has been awarded the prestigious National Healthy Schools Award, meeting the government's requirements to show good practise in Citizenship, Safety Awareness, Drug Education, Sex & Relationships Education, Healthy Eating, Physical Activity, and Emotional Health & Well-being.

'We were very grateful to receive the donation of £500 from Eurocell Building Plastics and have already put it to very good use.' said Gabrielle Barnham.

Tel: 01773 842100
Email: mailto:marketing@eurocell.co.uk
Web: http://www.eurocell.co.uk

---

Whiteline Windows rebrands and recycles, benefiting underprivileged children around the world

The Whiteline Group, the South East's specialist trade fabricator of PVC-U windows and doors, announces the rebranding of its Whiteline and Framelink trade brands and a local charity benefit. The Whiteline Group is now offering 'Goldline' and 'Goldline 70' products as 'Glazed' or 'Unglazed' packages.

Over a period of time, Whiteline, in arrangement with Printer Tansleys of Broad Street, Seaford, has ensured that all Framelink branded stationery would directly benefit Eastbourne local charity Mustard Seed Relief Missions. A4 letterhead for example, has been reduced down in size to create plain paper and bound into notepads, which are now being sent to Bosnia, Croatia, Ukraine and Tajikistan.

Mustard Seed was set up 13 years ago by Mick Trott of Eastbourne to provide relief aid to children living below the poverty line where there is devastation by war or poverty. By donating to Mustard Seed, Whiteline will be supplying stationery to orphanages, refugee camps and schools in these very areas. All as part of the 'Love-in-a-Box' project.

Peter Hand, sales and marketing director comments 'Mustard Seed has been instrumental in generating, transporting and distributing relief aid goods. We are delighted to be able to make a small but practical contribution to this excellent cause through our corporate branding requirements'.

To find out more about Mustard Seed and how to donate clothes, shoes, stationery or money, please request an information and application pack from: Mustard Seed Relief Missions, 16b Maple Road, Eastbourne, BN23 6NY or call 01323 642277. Registered charity no. 1040805.

The Whiteline Group, founded in 1984, is a market leading fabricator based in Sussex with a Southern England area of operation. Synonymous with quality products 'Crafted for Elegance and Engineered for Security' and quality service, the company has grown to become an important player in the PVC-U window industry. The Whiteline Group is now a major local employer in Eastbourne with 250 employees.

---

'Pounds from Heaven' for Children's Hospice

It was literally a case of 'pounds from heaven' for a Shropshire-based children's hospice following a fund-raising freefall by two adventurous Profile 22 ladies.

Teresa Colbourne-White and Anna Berwick joined forces in a 16,000 foot tandem parachute jump to raise £2,050 for Hope House in Oswestry, which provides essential support to the families of terminally ill children.

Both Teresa, wife of Profile 22 MD Keith White, and Anna, wife of KEB Fabrications boss Tony Berwick, had never jumped out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft before.

Keith is pictured presenting the cheque to the hospice's Appeals Organiser, Monica Morison. Said Monica: 'We're delighted with the donation and very grateful to Teresa and Anna for their efforts. We'd love to encourage more people to do fun and wacky things for charity. It helps organisations like us and it's certainly a day to remember for the participants!'

She added: 'We care for children from the Shropshire, Cheshire and North Wales areas and need to raise around £1.5 million a year for the running costs of Hope House.'

The intrepid ladies performed the tandem jump, each strapped to an experienced free-fall parachutist, over the Lincolnshire countryside from Hibaldstow Airfield. Neither had ever parachuted before.

Profile 22 Managing Director, Keith White, presents a cheque for £2,050 to Monica Morison, Appeals Organiser of Hope House Hospice, Oswestry.

Afterwards, Teresa commented: 'It was an incredible experience, but I didn't like the freefall bit.' Anna added: 'I had always wanted to do a parachute jump, so when the opportunity came up, I went for it and persuaded Teresa to join me. It was fantastic, but once was enough!'

The adventurous ladies formed the Profile 22 team and were generously supported by a number of the systems company's customers, suppliers and friends alike.

Contact: Keith White
Tel: 01952 290910
Web: http://www.profile22.co.uk

---

PREMIER'S PACT BENEFITS CHILDREN'S CHARITY

Premier Profiles, extruder of PVCu window, door and cellular foam profile, has donated the proceeds of its corporate Golf Day - over £7,430 - to the charity PACT (Parents' Association of Children with Tumours and Leukaemia), based at Sheffield Children's Hospital.

PACT was established 25 years ago, with the aim of providing relief and support for children in the care of Sheffield Children's Paediatric Oncology and Haematology Unit, and to help with the continued care of children following treatment. The charity funds a 'Home from Home' just a few hundred yards from the hospital, a refurbished house which is not only a refuge for children receiving and recovering from treatment, but also offers parents and siblings the opportunity to stay with or near the children, providing vital support to families in stressful times.

Premier Profiles' donation will be put towards the ongoing upkeep of the PACT Home from Home. Managing director Paul Dickins and commercial director David Mulholland visited the house in person to present the cheque to PACT co-ordinator Beryl Welburn and house manager Sheila Jackson. Beryl commented: 'The PACT Home From Home has been open for over ten years now, and is absolutely essential to the well-being of children receiving treatment at the hospital, and their families. We are very grateful to Premier Profiles for their contribution towards the ongoing running costs of the house, which will enable us to continue offering children and their families much-needed support.'

Paul Dickins added: 'I would like to thank all the customers, suppliers and employees who supported our Golf Day and enabled us to raise over £7,400 for such a worthy cause. It was remarkable to see the effort and enthusiasm that PACT puts into caring for poorly children and their families, and we are delighted that our contribution will help, in however small a way, to continue such admirable work.'

For more information on PACT or to make a donation, call 0114 272 4570. For more information on Premier Profiles call 01302 311200.

---

Loyalty to Community Relations

Bolton based, industrial company The Burnden Group plc, provided its support at two recent fund raising events.

After securing the highest bids for a South African rugby shirt, John H Stacey and Ali Stacey memorabilia, at a recent annual charity dinner and auction, the Group pledged £4,600 towards The Christies Against Cancer Appeal.

In another community related story, the Group offered its support by providing a promotional campaign and several items of sporting memorabilia; in aid of a local fund raising event for British Junior Squash champion, Laura Jane Lengthorn.

The proceeds raised at the event exceeded £2,000, with all monies being utilised to enable Laura to embark on a professional career on the world squash circuit.

Gary Fielding, The Burnden Group's managing director, commented: 'The Burnden Group plc places great emphasis on being a caring, people driven company; and our involvement in such fundraising events is one way which we can demonstrate our commitment to supporting such worthwhile causes.'

---

Synseal Raises £15,000 for Children in Need

Synseal Extrusions Ltd along with its customers across the UK have raised £15,000 for this year's the Children in Need appeal.

Sales and Marketing Director Nick Dutton comments: 'With the festive season fast approaching, we decided to celebrate Christmas with our 400+ customers differently this year. So each individual customer has foregone their traditional gift of wine etc from us, so that we can donate the collective sum of money we would normally spend on presents, to Children in Need.

'This cheque combined with Synseal's donation to the BBC Radio 2 online auction of a signed, framed picture of Michael Schumacher and a child-sized, electrically operated 5ft replica of his 2000 Ferrari F1 Grand Prix racing car has raised over £15,000. (Incidentally this auction lot, which was online for the week of Children in Need, has proved more popular and raised more money than Graham Norton's jacket, Geri Halliwell's yoga mat and an opportunity to meet Ronan Keating!)

'We are absolutely delighted to contribute to such an important appeal, and would like to thank all our customers for their support. It's good to be able to make a difference'.

Tel: 01623 443200
Web: http://www.synseal.com

---

Sapphire Windows' MD Loses Hair to Gain Cash for Local Hospice

Dave Darby, managing director of Veka fabricator & installer Sapphire Windows of Newton Abbot in Devon, has raised £1,150 for worthy causes after having his haircut of 36 years shaved off, cheered on by his family, friends and colleagues.

38 year old Dave - who claims that he had the same haircut since he was 2 years old - decided to go the way of Samson to raise money for the local Rowcroft Hospice, whose staff cared for his brother-in-law before he tragically died of Multiple Myloma at the age of 36. The Darby family also wanted to raise money for a special bench to be placed in the local church in his memory. Says Dave:

'We all needed cheering up and I thought that having my hair shaved off would give us all a good laugh as well as being a good way of raising sponsorship'.

Sponsors of the event, which took place at Dave's local Queens Head pub in Brixham, included Veka and other suppliers, customers and Dave's local football team-mates as well as friends. The head shave was carried out by Dave's sister in law Debbie, who was eager to be involved in the fundraising for Rowcroft Hospice following her husband's death. Dave, who has performed other tasks for charity in the past, founded Sapphire Windows two and a half years ago and has seen the company grow rapidly from employing just himself to over 10 staff. Sapphire Windows is also a Network Veka member.

Dave is extremely happy with the money his haircut has raised: 'lf you've seen the work that places like Rowscroft Hospice have to do, you'd be as keen, as I was, to do something to help. I'd like to thank everyone who helped me to do just that by sponsoring me. I might look a bit strange for a while, but it was definitely worth doing it - at least it gave me a different haircut for once!'

Tel: 01282 716611
Email: mailto:salesenquiry@veka.com
Web: http://www.vekauk.com

---

Kestel Supports Local Charity

Congleton-based Kestrel Building Products is the latest local company to lend its support to the Donna Louise Trust, the charity currently building a children's hospice at Trentham. near Stoke-on-Trent.

Kestrel is donating £1,800 worth of its PVC-UE roofline materials, including fascia boards and soffits, to the project, which is currently being built by Gladman Homes to the charity's specification. When complete late this year the hospice will provide a safe and supportive environment for life limited children and their families. Around 250 families each year are expected to use the facility.

Says Barry Stone, Kestrel's Sales and Marketing Director: 'We are supporting the charity because we believe it to be an extremely worthwhile cause. Our parent company, HW Plastics has recently opened a new warehouse facility at Trentham Lakes and this is our way of putting something back into the local community. The hospice will also benefit from the use of the products in the long term because they are virtually maintenance free and require no painting or staining in the same way as timber. This will contribute in a very small way to reducing the charity's operational costs which are expected to be in the region of £1.2 million a year.'

Anyone wishing to make a donation should contact the Donna Louise Trust direct on 01782 322221.

---

Vicker helps Pudsey

Adrian Vicker, sales director at hardware manufacturer Roto Frank, will be taking his motorbike on an epic three-day journey from toe to tip of Great Britain to raise funds for the BBC's Children In Need appeal.

Adrian's mammoth effort will take him from Land's End to John O'Groats, before continuing to Dover over the weekend of 15th - 17th November 2002.

Asked why he has decided to take on this personal 'biker's challenge', Adrian replies, 'I have been raising money for Children In Need for several years now, with events such as fundraising dinners and commando assault courses and needed a new challenge for this year.

'Anyone who knows me will vouch for the fact that I am definitely not built for running, so doing a marathon is a non-starter. I don't like heights, so I couldn't do a parachute jump or abseil down a building. There's no point shaving all my hair off as I am already bald and dieting wouldn't work, because I am always on a diet!

'My keen interest in motorcycling gave me the idea of undertaking some sort of motorbike challenge. What I had to do was to devise something that would be a test of stamina and be achievable in a weekend. After some thought, I came up with the idea of riding between three extreme points of the UK.'

Adrian doesn't expect his venture to be a joyride, however. 'It is going to be cold and wet with long days and late evenings in the saddle,' he muses.

Adrian is now seeking sponsorship for his motorbike ride. Roto Frank will be covering Adrian's fuel and accommodation expenses to ensure that all of the proceeds go directly to Children In Need.

In addition to supporting a worthy cause, potential sponsors will have an added incentive to support Adrian's efforts. Each sponsor has the chance to win two tickets to the British Super Bike meeting next year, with paddock and pit lane passes, by correctly estimating Adrian's time in the saddle and the total mileage covered over the three days.

Adrian also extends an invitation for a volunteer to occupy the pillion seat for the journey, provided the passenger can promise to gain more sponsorship.

Anyone wishing to sponsor Adrian, or take the pillion seat, should contact him on 01788 558600 or 0770 447954. Alternatively, he can be e-mailed at sales@roto-frank.com

---

Winning is Fun for IFI Lot

Combining a charitable fund raising day for the local NSPCC branch with the presentation of prizes to the winners of the recent Yale and IFI G2000 sales promotion proved to be a resounding success.

The joint sales promotion was a bespoke incentive for the IFI field and sales support personnel to create new business accounts whilst increasing sales of Yale G2000 multipoint locks. The Yale and IFI partnership proved to be a phenomenal success. Due to the close working relationship developed between the Yale and IFI sales teams, the new business generated exceeded both companies' expectations. Furthermore, when a new account signed up it was provided with a comprehensive and eye-catching marketing support pack, to help it promote the security benefits of the Yale G2000 multipoint system to homeowners.

According to Warren Yates, Yale OEM Sales Manager, 'This was more than a business development exercise, it was a true partnership of a manufacturer and distributor combining our expertise to understand and satisfy the needs of our customers.'
On the day the winners were presented with their prizes, IFI had a 'Dress Different Day' with all proceeds going to the NSPCC Young People's Helpline in Peterborough. Each employee was asked to donate either £1 for dressing up differently or £2 if they came to work in normal business clothes, with more than £230 collected. This meant that the winners not only received their well-deserved prizes they were also having fun contributing to a very worthy cause.

Tel: 01902 366911
Email: mailto:info@yaleuk.com
Web: http://www.yale.co.uk

---

Local Manufacturer in Trekking Odyssey

Macclesfield based HW Plastics is sponsoring its intrepid Head of Marketing, Peter Hayes, to walk over one hundred and fifty kilometres to raise money for SCOPE (formerly the Spastic Society) this month.

Not only is the sheer distance something of an endurance test but there is also the fact that it will be walked high up in the Mountainous region of Chile, where temperatures fall well below zero and where minor luxuries like hot water and electricity are hard to come by. For fifty year old Peter it will be one of the hardest projects of his life.

'l'm not usually one to take up this kind of physical challenge' he admits 'but I feel so grateful for the quality of my own life and for the health of my family, that I felt it was time to do something definite to help people who have not been so lucky. This event offered me the opportunity to raise a considerable amount of money while also giving myself the challenge of a lifetime.'

The startling fact is that one in four hundred babies in the UK are born with Cerebral Palsy, and the charity SCOPE is always looking for money to help with its diverse range of support projects throughout the UK. Peter has raised the impressive total of £3,500, thanks, in no small part, to the support of the Heywood Williams Group. 'Everyone seems very keen to send me to Chile' observed Peter, somewhat reflectively.

Tel: 01625 420400

---

Deceuninck Raises Money for the British Heart Foundation

Pouring rain did nothing to dampen the energetic spirits of a 13 (unlucky for some... as you will find out) strong Deceuninck team in their endeavour to complete the 68 mile Birmingham to Oxford bike ride. Deceuninck's senior management team - Gary Morton, Jon Skinner and Peter Watts - were joined by as assortment of employees, friends, colleagues and general hangers on, collectively raising approximately £6000 in aid of the British Heart Foundation.

The afternoon almost passed without incident until Deceuninck chief executive officer Gary Morton decided to liven up the proceedings with a dramatic fall.

'I was hurtling down a steep hill in extremely wet conditions,' Gary picks up the story. 'The road took a sharp turn and I was unable to stop. Faced with the prospect of hitting a wall or taking a dive, I decided an Italian player in the penalty box was preferable. I took the dive and tore shoulder ligaments in the process. I also crashed my head on the ground and was dazed for a few moments - thank God for helmets.'

What Gary did not realise at the time was that not far behind him Status national sales manager Kevin Warner was hurtling down the same hill facing the same dilemma as Gary did. Luckily for Kevin his landing was a little softer - Gary acting as the cushion to break his fall.

The pair continued for the final 22 miles in driving wind and rain, and in some considerable pain. Fortunately no serious damage was sustained by either party.
In its entirety the team consisted of Gary Morton, Jon Skinner, Peter Watts, Filip Van Herck, Karl Vandoorne, (all of Deceuninck) Andrew Sedgmond (Vellacine), Allen McDougall and Dave Walker VAG), Gary Richards and Steve Richards (MFH), Richard Morris, Kevin Warner and Dave Martin (Status).

Tel: 01249 816969
Email: mailto:deceuninck.ltd@deceuninck.com
Web: http://www.deceuninck.com

---

Leaping for Charity

Who is the more intrepid of the sexes? Well, as these two brave ladies proved with their 16,000 foot charity tandem freefall, the fairer sex it would seem.

Teresa Colbourne-White and Anna Berwick joined forces in a mega parachute jump to raise over £2,500 for HOPE HOUSE, a hospice for terminally ill children.

Both Teresa, wife of Profile 22 MD Keith White, and Anna, wife of KEB Fabrications boss Tony Berwick, had never jumped out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft before.

They performed the tandem jump, each strapped to an experienced freefall parachutist, over the Lincolnshire countryside from Hibaldstow Airfield watched by their 'not-so-brave' husbands.

After 'enjoying' (if that's the right word!) a one minute freefall before the canopies opened, both pairs glided silently to earth in aid of Hope House which provides essential support to the families of terminally ill children.Said Teresa: 'It was an incredible experience, but I didn't like the freefall bit. I've never done anything like this before, and I don't think I'd ever do it again.'

Feet firmly on the ground, her husband Keith commented: 'These ladies are a good deal braver than I and probably most of us are! It didn't help that the first plane had a technical hitch and delayed the jumps.'

Anna, who has previously done some paragliding, echoed Teresa's words, adding: 'I had always wanted to do a parachute jump, so when the opportunity came up, I went for it and persuaded Teresa to join me. It was fantastic, but once was enough!'

The adventurous ladies formed the Profile 22 team and were generously supported by a number of the systems company's customers, suppliers and friends alike.

Contact: Keith White
Tel: 01952 290910
Web: http://www.profile22.co.uk

---

Shepley’s Own Skydive for Charity

On 26th July, Andy McIntyre, one of Shepley’s customer service manager, took part in a charity skydive. Along with 15 other participants from across the window industry, Andy descended from a height of 16,000 feet in a free-fall tandem skydive.

The event, organised by GM Fundraising, hoped to raise a total of around £10,000 in aid of Hope House – a hospice for terminally ill children that offers crucial support to sufferers and their families, and is almost entirely reliant upon voluntary donations.
When asked why he had decided to take the plunge in an activity that saw him hurtling towards the ground at 120mph per hour Andy replied, 'I was apprehensive at first, but having found more out about Hope House and GM fundraising, I was keen that Shepley should have some representation for such a worthy cause'.

Determined to raise as much as possible, Shepley approached their customers and business associates for support and, through their generous donations, Shepley is proud to confirm that Andy McIntyre alone has personally raised a grand sum of around £4,600.
Managing director Gary Torr was delighted with the amount raised, 'The money raised will make a real difference to the lives of these children and we must thank all companies who have supported Andy and GM Fundraising'. With such a superb response there is no way Gary Torr can avoid taking the plunge next year! If you would like to make a donation to help the children’s hospice please send a cheque payable to ‘Hope Hospice’ to Shepley’s marketing department.

Contact: James Brisbane
Tel: 0161 339 2433
Email: mailto:james@shepley.com
Web: http://www.shepley.com

---

GOSH- A Parachute Jump for Charity!

Debbie Lake, dearly beloved wife of Nick Lake, Communications Manager at Panels Plus, jumped (or was she pushed) from a perfectly working plane in a tandem skydive, on Saturday 3rd August at Headcorn Aerodrome near Maidstone, Kent.

After a delay of six hours due to a low cloud base and thunderstorms, Debbie jumped from a plane doing 200mph at 12,000ft. The freefall lasted around 30 seconds during which time Debbie fell some 5,000ft, terminal velocity being measured at 176 ft per second, that's 120mph!

Debbie who has three healthy children (all girls), said, 'The jump was to raise money for GOSH the charity of Great Ormond Street Hospital, where a friend’s son Brandon Styles, has to undergo regular treatment.

'The work at Great Ormond Street Hospital is so very important and any funds raised are put to the best possible use.'

Donations received so far have come from a number of sources, including Europa Quality Print, PR Consultants Austen Harlow Flitter, and Panels Plus staff. Anyone wishing to make a donation to GOSH, please email Nick Lake at comms@panelsplus.co.uk with your pledge, or send him a cheque made payable to GOSH.

For information on the work of GOSH, click http://www.gosh.org Or on jumping for GOSH, click http://www.gosh.org./getinvolved/parachute.htm