G F Tomlinson colleagues are donning their hiking boots to complete the Lake District ‘Ultra Challenge’ in June, raising money for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust.

Already underway with training, site managers Ed Smith and Phil Laverick will be walking 100km in 24 hours as part of the challenge, crossing the complex terrain of the Lake District on the 8^th and 9^th of June.

The Midlands contractor announced the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust as its chosen charity of the year back in January and alongside the Ultra Challenge, G F Tomlinson will be hosting a variety of events over the next 12 months to raise further funds for the trust’s research.

Aortic Dissection is a serious heart condition caused by a partial tear in the wall of the aorta, which prevents blood supply and can lead to the rupturing of organs.

Seventy people are diagnosed with the condition each week in the UK and Ireland with only an average survival rate of 50%.

The trust aims to help raise awareness and funding for research into early detection, supporting prevention, treatment, and cures for the condition, which if diagnosed and treated in time, can have an 80% survival rate.

Senior site manager, Phil Laverick, said: “While this Ultra Challenge is going to be a mammoth undertaking, it is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust.

“Ed and I are currently training hard for this event and adding up the blisters by the week. We look forward to the 8^th June and thank you for your support.”

Patron of the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust, Pauline Latham, said: “I would like to thank G F Tomlinson for their fundraising efforts on behalf of the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust. This fundraising will help the trust to develop further research to improve diagnosis and save lives, as well as to raise awareness of this little-known condition.

“G F Tomlinson’s have already done so much for this cause, and once again, I am very grateful for their support.” 

Chairman of G F Tomlinson, Andy Sewards, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust as our chosen charity for 2024. When Patron, Pauline Latham contacted back in January, we were only too happy to get involved and help create a greater awareness of this serious medical condition, to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and ultimately, survival rates for over 3,500 sufferers every year.

“As well as the sterling efforts of Ed and Phil, the Company have an extensive programme of fundraising events organized throughout the year including a charity quiz night, raffle, and staff sporting events.” 

You can support Ed and Phil’s efforts to raise money for the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust here.

Melbourne-based Acres Engineering, best known for its work in the aerospace, rail and automotive industries, has a new niche, after teaming up with much loved entertainer Johnny Vegas for his new exhibition at Liverpool’s Walker Art Gallery.

Vegas has collaborated with the esteemed Wirral artist Emma Rodgers on a joint exhibition titled “Metamorphosis,” an apt title given Johnny graduated in art and ceramics at the University of Middlesex three decades ago.

Indeed, he calls this “my rebirth.”

Both artists have presented two-dimensional pieces as well as sculptures in bronze, clay, and 3D printing, all unified by the theme of flight.

One of Johnny’s artworks featured angels perched on metal RSJs, which provided a contrasting finish that completed the display.

However, the RSJs were too heavy, so after Emma suggested they could mix sculptural materials Johnny reached out to Acres to create replicas of the RSJs from a thinner, lighter material, with the condition that they retained the same industrial appearance as the original pieces.

Johnny visited Acres on two occasions to communicate his requirements and after a number of variants testing out different thickness of material, the perfect balance of weight vs aesthetics vs functionality was found.

Johnny even joined in with the team during the final manufacture.

Luke Parker, Managing Director at Acres Engineering, said: “We are proud that Johnny selected Acres to work with on this important project so close to his heart. Johnny was really impressed with our facilities, our craftsmanship and most importantly our team.

“It was great to see him getting so involved and engaged but he’s a born entertainer as well as an incredibly talented artist so we had a tonne of fun along the way. We look forward to working with Johnny in the future on bigger projects – watch this space!”

Johnny’s work draws massively from his experiences of living with ADHD which he describes as an “accursed blessing,” with concepts of flight, faith, and fear of failure prominent.

As he put the finishing touches to the display at The Walker, Vegas was understandably proud and a little emotional: “I think I’m going to cry…but they’ll be good tears.

“I’m living my best life right now and I can’t tell you what it means to be exhibiting here at The Walker. I want to give a massive shout to Luke and the team at Acres. They’re a family firm and that means a lot to me, I wish my dad (Laurence Pennington, who died from cancer in 2017) could walk in here with me and see this.

“He used to get grief when I was at art school because ‘your lad’s doing pottery’ but he had a deep appreciation for anything creative, and for breaking free from social expectations. He would have absolutely loved it.

“I hope to be able to nip down to Acres with Emma to show her the range of tech and skills the team has because they’ve helped to make this possible after Emma’s bright idea to mix sculptural materials – see you soon team!”