Pall-Ex Group hosted the annual Pall-Ex vs Fortec charity football match on the 25th of May, helping to raise £2032 for Armed Forces charities, SSAFA and Combat Stress. At Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, teams made up of employees and members from across the Pall-Ex and Fortec networks faced each other in the hopes of securing victory in the third instalment of the charity shield. The match kicked off at 2pm, with Pall-Ex looking to retain their winning streak after a tense 4-3 win over Fortec in 2023. In front of a crowd of 200 supporters, an action-filled match resulted in Fortec coming out victorious with a 5-1 win. With Fortec captain Stuart White scoring an early goal just two minutes into the match, the domination from Fortec continued with the first half finishing 4-0. Shortly after coming back out for the second half, Fortec scored once again to make it 5-0, before Pall-Ex managed a consolation goal in the form of a penalty in the 85th minute, making it a 5-1 victory to Fortec. Following the match, further funds were raised through a penalty shootout enjoyed by both children and adults alike, with each person paying £1 per go to support the charity initiative. The football match raised a total of £1016 on the day through ticket sales and donations, with the Pall-Ex Group Charitable Foundation matching the figure to bring the total to £2032. The money raised will go towards offering life-changing support services to veterans struggling with complex mental health issues. With a long-standing commitment to supporting the Armed Forces, Pall-Ex Group is a proud partner of both Combat Stress: The UK’s Leading Charity for Veterans’ Mental Health and SSAFA the Armed Forces charity. In 2022, Pall-Ex Group achieved the Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) Gold Award from the Ministry of Defence, in recognition of the commitment shown to the Armed Forces community. Alongside providing support to military personnel who are looking for work after leaving the forces, its pledges include enhanced leave for Reservists and Cadets within the business and ongoing fundraising for veterans’ mental health charities. At the Pall-Ex Group ‘World of Excellence’ annual awards evening in February of this year, SSAFA received a donation of £10,000 and recently employees from across Pall-Ex Group took part in Combat Stress’ March in March campaign, raising over £4200 throughout the month. Kevin Buchanan, Group CEO at Pall-Ex Group, comments: “We are immensely proud to be able to host such fantastic events and in turn support the hard work that both Combat Stress and SSAFA do to aid veterans. Our pledge to the Armed Forces community is something that we are honoured to uphold at Pall-Ex Group and we are committed to supporting the invaluable work that both of our charity partners carry out with further events throughout the year. I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the team at Leicester City Football Club for their support with hosting our event over the last three years.”

Colleagues from a property consultancy in Ashby have taken to new heights as part of a charity challenge which saw them raise thousands of pounds for good causes. A team of 12 colleagues from Fisher German’s Ashby offices have completed the Three Peaks Challenge, tackling the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in aid of the Henry Sale Foundation. The team began with an early-morning climb of Scotland’s Ben Nevis before taking on England’s Scafell Pike in the dark the same evening and finally moving on to Snowdon, in Wales, early the following morning. While some of the colleagues had climbed the mountains individually, it was the first time that anyone in the group had taken on the challenge. The group has so far raised £5,475, smashing their initial £5,000 target, which will be donated to the charity established in memory of Fisher German former Managing Partner Henry Sale. It supports charitable causes that enable education and social inclusion through sport and the countryside. The Three Peaks Challenge is one of a number of fundraising events and challenges held by Fisher German to support the foundation, with the firm donating more than £230,000 to the charity since it was established. Fisher German marketing manager Laura Jane Taylor, who organised the challenge, said: “It was a fantastic, and very challenging, experience which was enjoyed by everyone who took part. “We were blessed with the weather which gave us some fantastic views, but the heat also added to the challenge, and we also had to recover quickly between each hike in order to complete the three ascents. “We had a real mix of people taking part, and it was great to see colleagues right from graduates to Partners from different areas of the business taking on the challenge – it was a great opportunity for team building. “We’re thrilled to have smashed our fundraising target for the Henry Sale Foundation. “The foundation has recently supported projects including an apprenticeship bursary with Northampton Saints Foundation and Chance to Shine, which offers free cricket sessions to children across Leicestershire, so it’s excellent to know that the funds we have raised will have a direct impact on the lives of others.” Laura Bailey, Henry’s daughter and a trustee of the charity, said: “The Henry Sale Foundation is delighted and extremely grateful to be the chosen charity for Fisher German’s Three Peaks Challenge. “The positive impact Henry Sale Foundation funds have on so many lives by financially supporting charity projects is tangible. “The money raised from this challenge will make a significant difference to more projects enabling education and social inclusion through sport and the countryside. “Henry himself did the Three Peaks Challenge as part of a Fisher German team back in 2007 so would have full appreciation of what the 2024 team took on.” Donations can still be made by visiting https://shorturl.at/d8Fz6

The owner of a Derby heating firm is looking forward to raising awareness of the need for more accessibility on golf courses after agreeing to co-sponsor a fundraising event featuring some of Europe’s leading disabled golfers. Stephen O’Brien, who owns Derby-based S O’Brien Heating Solutions, has joined forces with Derbyshire marketing agency Purpose Media to host a golf day next month to help generate funds for this year’s Cairns Cup competition. The Cairns Cup is disability golf’s premier matchplay event and resembles the Ryder Cup, with a team of 16 golfers from Europe taking on a team from the USA over three days with a four-ball, foursomes and singles rounds. The golf day, which will take place at Morley Hayes on June 11, is being held to raise funds to pay their costs and will see teams from businesses from across the East Midlands competing throughout the day alongside a number of the European squad, whose disabilities include paralysis, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s. They include star player Kris Aves, a former Metropolitan police officer who suffered spinal injuries when he was run over by a terrorist driving a stolen van in the Westminster Bridge attacks of 2007 – just minutes after he picked up a special award for his service to the force. Now paralysed from the waist down, Kris gets around the golf course on a Paragolfer, a special wheelchair which enables him to get into a standing position when he needs to take his shots. Other Cairn Cup team members will be taking part on June 11, alongside a team from British Inclusive Golf, who will be showing what’s possible in the world of disabled golf. Steve is a keen golfer himself, having originally played the sport when he was 12. He gave it up a few years later but, when lockdown restrictions were lifting after COVID three years ago, he headed back out onto the golf course to get some much-needed fresh air and exercise. He said: “I really enjoy my golf, so sponsoring an event like this seems like the right thing to do, but I really want to highlight how important it is to make golf more inclusive. “A lot of golf courses are really not inclusive for disabled players, especially when it comes to getting in and out of the bunkers where disabled players are at risk of picking up penalties for not playing their shots. “The rules need to change, so we need to raise awareness of the situation, which our golf day will do. It will also give local businesses the opportunity to play alongside the Cairns Cup players and see first-hand how incredible they are.” The Cairns Cup takes place at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Detroit at the end of July and the European team will be seeking revenge, having lost to the USA at The Shire London, in Barnet, in 2022. The event was established in 2018 when former soldier and disabled golfer Kevin Booth and fellow players decided to set up a Ryder Cup-style competition in memory of a friend, Billy Cairns, who died during a previous Europe vs USA disabled golf event called the Phoenix Cup. Matt Wheatcroft, managing director of Purpose Media, said: “Our charity golf day will give players a unique opportunity to understand the challenges faced by disabled golfers and the incredible ways in which they have adapted in order to play their game. “We’ve got plenty of activities organised for the day and we’re all looking forward to it.” It costs £400 per team of four to take part in the Morley Hayes charity golf day, which will include breakfast, a two-course dinner and an awards ceremony, as well as competitions throughout the day. To sign up to the golf day visit www.purposemedia.co.uk/purpose-media-golf-day-2024/