Cheque it out - 2010

SAFC corporate challenge - May

Twelve keen Sunderland supporters from around the business teamed up to take part in Play on the Pitch raising valuable funds for the SAFC Foundation. We signed up to the corporate challenge earlier this year as a partnership with the foundation and commitment to raise funds throughout the year. They came runners up in the final after a day of battling it out against other companies around the region.

Pictured L-R from the back are Graham Perry, Richard Begg, Mark Elgey, Liam Kirkpatrick, Iain Burn and Jonny Belmont and front L-R are Chris Bond, Peter Robson, Simon Cossar, Dave Watson and Anthony Marriner. They applied to cheque it out to get employee sponsorship and awarded £250.00 to help with their fundraising. Other contractors, family and friends also gave donations and overall they raised over £1200.00.

Grace House North East ladies midnight walk - June

Jane Davison from Corporate responsibility at Pity Me pictured right, took part in the second ladies only midnight walk on Saturday 19 June raising funds for the building of the new Children’s hospice. The circular walk from the Seaburn Centre in Sunderland was around 6 miles along the coast finishing with a bacon butty and a cuppa! Jane applied to cheque it out and was granted £50.00 donation towards her fundraising.

Houghton area youth band - July

Michelle Marshall, Distribution Support, Pity Me is an active member of the Houghton Area Youth Band and attends rehearsals each week to help teach the younger players. This year they have set themselves a 1k challenge and aim to raise £1000 for the club. One of the members is cycling from Lands End to John O’Groats to raise funds, while others are doing things such as cake bakes and stalls at the events they are
playing at.

To help boost the funds Michelle was awarded £50.00 from cheque it out. To see how the club are getting on with their fundraising you can log onto their website www.hayb.org.uk.

Gosforth Bohemians Football Club - August

Gosforth Bohemians have been around since 1894 and during that time they have been based at Benson Park in Gosforth which is owned and maintained by the club. The up keep of the facilities takes up the majority of the small income leaving little money available for new strips and equipment, forcing them to rely on sponsorship. Matthew Atkin, Scientific Services, Horsley, is a first team player and committee member and applied to cheque it out for sponsorship, which he was granted.

Consett Fire under 9’s Football Club - September

Claire Anderson, Business Services, Pity Me, is the secretary of Consett Fire Under 9’s Football Club. Claire was given £50.00 towards her football club from cheque it out. Consett Juniors were formed back in 1954 and currently has 33 teams ranging from under 7 development all the way up to under 18’s. All coaches are fully qualified through the F.A. and are all CRB checked. We also have a disabled team which play 5 a-side and we have a number of girls’ teams. The club are always looking for new players whatever their ability, everyone is welcome.

Marie Curie Cancer Care - October

In October 2010 a team from Horsley Labs participated in a Coast to Coast bike ride to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The team included Lisa Bamford, John Kain, Bob Carrington, Ian Anderson and Anthony Greally (Andrea Greally's husband). The super fit team cycled the 150 miles from Whitehaven to Tynemouth over 3 days.

Bob Carrington said, “It was a wonderful experience for us all and a great effort all round, made even better by the occasional welcome stop for a slice of cake. We enjoyed spectacular views of the Lake District and the North Pennines, meeting many other people cycling for similar causes. Best of all we didn't have a single puncture the whole trip!” Over £1,500 sponsorship was raised for the charity, including a £250 contribution from NWL through the 'cheque it out' scheme.

Tyne Bridge zip wire - November

Gemma Soulsby, Damian Robinson, Paul Richardson and Claire Burn from Information Services at Northumbria House completed a zip wire from the Tyne Bridge for Marie Curie Cancer Care. The zip wire ran from the north side of the Tyne Bridge to HMS Calliope on the Gateshead Quay, was 59 meters up in the air and 220 meters long. Damian and Claire had personal experience of the Marie Curie services and were very keen to raise funds to support this charity.

Over £860 was raised from friends, family and work colleagues, with a team “Cheque it out” donation forming a significant part of this.

Samaritans purse - December

Sharon Stewart and Clare Laverick from the litigation team at Pity Me managed to put together 80 Christmas shoe boxes for distribution to children in Belarus, Serbia and Romania.

Sharon and Clare applied to cheque it out to pay, and were granted, money for the postage of the boxes so the money and gifts they raised could all be donated to the worthy cause.