Parents of Accrington son with rare condition 'overwhelmed' by huge gesture
A furniture manufacturer raised more than £1,400 for two charities in an extended two-hour lunch break. Furniture manufacturer, Teal invited its 125 employees to take part in ‘Teal Test’, where 15 teams took on 15 challenges to be crowned best of the best and win a cash prize.
Teal is part of Accrington based The Senator Group, and the event raised £1404.35 towards this year’s chosen charity partners Jeffrey’s Journey and East Lancashire Hospice. Jeffrey’s Journey is a charity close to the heart of The Senator Group, raising money for Jeffrey Charlesworth from Accrington who was born with Batten disease, a rare and incurable genetic illness.
Jeffrey’s parents both work for The Senator Group, and their son inspired the name of ‘Jeffrey’s Jet’, which won this year’s Accrington Soapbox challenge. Employees from Darwen based Teal took part in a number of activities including an archery challenge, a blind-folded walk guided by teammates, ‘where’s Oli’, (named after the company’s Operations Director Oli Clarke) and how many marshmallows can you get in your mouth?
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After the challenges, Teal held a raffle with prizes donated from companies such as Clayton Park Bakery, Blackburn Rovers, Mytton Fold, Imode Design, Freya’s grill and Munchies. They also had a tombola with 65 prizes donated by Teal employees.
The event finished with donated hot dogs and treats, while people were entertained by employee Nick Clough having his legs waxed. Oli Clarke, operations director of Teal, said: “Our charity partners are voted for by employees of The Senator Group and, as such, are always close to our hearts.
“I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and enthusiasm of our people and local businesses too. Teal Test is an annual event that not only raises money for worthy causes but is also an opportunity to get everyone together for a bit of team building.”
The Senator Group has raised almost £10,000 for its chosen charities so far, driven by its charity committee.