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Green Cycling Club to take on 500 km challenge
A group of green professionals from London is taking on an ambitious 500 km cycling challenge in a bid to raise over £40,000 for charity.
The challenge is being taken on by the London Green Cycling Club which includes waste sector figures such as LWARB chief operating officer Wayne Hubbard, Dan McCartney of the Local Government Association, and Peter Daw a former climate change policy manager at the Greater London Authority.
The group is organising the 500k Charity Challenge, due to take place in late July and early August 2015, based upon stages two and three of last year’s Tour de France, and finishing with the Prudential Ride 100. The ride will begin in York, following a route through to the capital.
Powerday
Each rider has nominated a local or national social or environmental charity as a recipient of funds.
North London based waste firm Powerday is sponsoring the team on the 500k Charity Challenge, and is providing branded shirts for each of the 28 riders to wear along the route.
Speaking to letsrecycle.com London Green CC chair Wayne Hubbard, said: “We are mostly people who live or work in London working in environmentally related jobs. A lot of us are supporting charities in environmental or social fields because they can often get squeezed out by bigger charities so a little bit of money means a lot more to them.”
More information on the London Green Cycling Group and the 500 km Challenge including biographies of the team, fundraising information and training blogs for some of the riders can be found at http://www.londongreencc.org/.
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Waste sector takes on London Marathon
A team from waste container services firm Fairport Containers and a former local authority recycling champion are both taking on the London Marathon on April 26, hoping to raise thousands of pounds for charity.
Fairport Containers
Fairport is entering a team for the second year in a row, with group director David Porter preparing for his first ever marathon, joined by welder Lee Swales who ran the race for Fairport in 2014.
The firm will once again be raising money for Cancer Research UK and is hoping to raise at least £10,000.
David, 33, from Croston, said the pressure was on to do well for the charity. “We are running to support such a good cause and it’s a big responsibility to raise as much as we possibly can,” he said.
“Cancer is something that has touched so many people and my own family is no exception. This will be my first ever marathon so I’m really feeling the pressure to do well.”
To sponsor Fairport Containers’ team go to www.justgiving.com/DavidandLee.
O’Keefe
Meanwhile, Lambeth council recycling officer Philip O’Keefe, who took the recycling champion crown at the 2014 Awards for Excellence in Recycling and Waste Management, will be running his first ever marathon in support of the lifeboats charity RNLI.
RNLI is a charity close to the Londoner’s heart, after a family member was rescued by an RNLI crew two years ago.
He said: “In August 2013 my nephew was involved in a helicopter crash in the North Sea on his return home from working on an oil rig. Thankfully he was rescued.
“RNLI volunteer crews from Aith and Lerwick were part of a multi-agency effort in which 14 of the 18 people on board the helicopter, including my nephew, were rescued. I want to raise money for the charity as a thank you to their volunteers.”
Commenting on his training so far, Philip added: “I’m really enjoying my training. I did my first long distance run in October when I completed the Royal Parks Half Marathon. I am really looking forward to running the 2015 London Marathon for the first time on behalf of the RNLI.”
For details on how to sponsor Philip, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/philipok.
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Hospice benefits from Bryson’s ‘£1 a tonne’ campaign
Northern Irish recycling firm Bryson Recycling has thanked householders for their contribution to its annual ‘£1 a tonne’ charity campaign, which has this year raised £6482 for the Hospice rebuild at Somerton Road, Belfast.
The initiative, which has been running for ten years sees £1 donated to charity for every tonne of waste recycled through Bryson’s weekly kerbside box system operating across 170,000 homes, from December to March.
Eric Randall, director of Bryson Recycling commented: “We want to thank all householders in Northern Ireland for contributing towards this year’s special campaign with NI Hospice as they continue to provide specialist hospice care for people with a terminal illness and their families in communities across Northern Ireland.
“This amount has enabled us to donate over 215 bricks towards the new NI Hospice.
“The ‘£1 a tonne’ is an important part of our CSR activity at Bryson Recycling and all employees have the chance to nominate an annual charity. Over the last ten years we have donated over £40,000 to local projects, which is very encouraging.”
Bryson Recycling is part of Northern Ireland’s leading social enterprise, the Bryson Charitable Group. It offers a weekly recycling collection service to over 170,000 homes across the province throughout six council areas including Armagh, Ballymena, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh and Newtownabbey.
The new Hospice at Somerton Road will be a state of the art facility and will care for thousands of people and their families over its lifetime.
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MRWA backs Sefton homelessness campaign
Former Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy is helping front a fund-raising campaign for a new Sefton-based project for homeless people, backed by the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (MRWA).
Sir Terry stepped in to help Emmaus Merseyside’s “Sponsor-a-Bed” campaign as the charity prepares to open a new supported housing scheme in Seaforth. He features in a short video which, Emmaus hopes, will encourage businesses to sponsor one or more of the 28 beds in the building, due to open in May.
The accommodation is part of a bigger scheme which will provide training and work opportunities for residents in the nearby Recycling Superstore, funded by MRWA and run by Emmaus.
The warehouse-style store, which opened last summer, sells used furniture, clothing and toys. Profits from the store will help fund the running of the residential scheme.
Nigel Mellor of Emmaus Merseyside said: “The store’s doing really well and with the support of Sir Terry we’re confident we’ll be able to raise the rest of the money we need.”
MRWA chairman, councillor Graham Morgan, said: “Emmaus are doing an amazing job – both in getting the store off the ground and in attracting the support of other agencies and individuals who can help realise their vision of providing shelter, employment and training for people who need it most.”
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