Demelza

Machu Picchu Group Challenge raises £136,504 for Demelza

Axis Head of AI joins the Machu Picchu Group Challenge to support Demelza

Raees Gillani, Axis’ Head of AI and Innovation,took on Machu Picchu to raise money for our charity partner Demelza. His incredible adventure saw him take on the challenge of hiking through the Andes to reach the famous lost city of the Incas!

His first two days of arriving in Cusco were tough due to the altitude: after overcoming the difficulties, it became a fun and memorable journey!

Raees said “The views and steepness of the city were just incredible and the level of exposure to nature during the trail itself was very magical.”

Demelza organises fundraising events and opportunities throughout the year, including big group adventures such a taking on Machu Picchu, the Paris Marathon, and the Demelza-to-Demelza bike ride.

As Raees explained, the benefits of a group challenge include the support from the rest of the team: ‘”My fellow fundraisers were incredibly kind and supportive, encouraging everyone to keep going and to push through each day, with mini celebrations at each milestone.”

Describing the whole experience, Raees said “The Inca trail to Machu Picchu is very similar to what I imagine a religious pilgrimage to be like, a difficult journey that will never end but then culminates into something very profound and beautiful.”

Raees and the whole group did an incredible job of fundraising; collectively raising over £136,504 for Demelza!!

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Three people holding cheque from Axis Foundation for DemelzaNews

2023 – Annual Charity Golf Day

The Axis Foundation’s annual charity golf day raises funds for Demelza and the Axis Foundation.

This year (2023), our generous guests raised £26,000 which will go towards supporting Demelza as well as many small, local and impactful causes via the Axis Foundation.

Celebrities and supporters teed up at the prestigious London Golf Club, one of the country’s finest golf venues. The day saw various competitions held throughout the course including Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin.

Alan Curbishley, Foundation patron and tv sports pundit, has kindly lent his name to the annual golf day: the Alan Curbishley Classic. And, in addition to Alan, celebrities who attended included tv presenter Bradley Walsh, footballers Teddy Sheringham, Scott Minto and Dave Beasant, and many more from the world of sport and entertainment.

Thank you

We thank all of our guests and supporters including our sponsors for the day:

  • City Plumbing – Main sponsor
  • Howells Solutions – On-course refreshments sponsor
  • Bauer – Golf buggy sponsor

Rounding off the annual charity golf day, the Axis Foundation presented a cheque for £138,545 to Demelza ambassador Scott Minto, pictured here (l to r) with Bradley Walsh and Alan Curbishley.

 

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Demelza

Fundraising and Volunteering for Foundation and Demelza

There really are no limits to what our own Axis People will do to help the Axis Foundation and Demelza!

Everyone who works at Axis cherishes the Foundation and Demelza. We’ve been up (and got down) to many activities, Fundraising and using our Volunteering Days to support both causes close to our hearts. Here are just a few examples!

 

Fundraising for Demelza and the Axis Foundation

  • Ben Ibrahim, Divisional Manager, ran the London Marathon. Ben raised £14,600
  • Our Oldbury Team organised a fiendish Treasure Hunt for Halloween. Their devilish enthusiasm raised £45
  • Kellie Turner, Head of  Community Investment, and Oliver Refson, Head of Sustainability and Quality, abseiled down the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford Olympic Park. Kellie and Ollie raised £1,500
  • With Croydon Council, our team in Croydon hosted an 11-a-side charity football match, raising £640

Volunteering to help our Foundation charities

  • Colin Norwood, Projects Supervisor, Joseph Hayes, Business Development Manager, and Kemeisha Brown, Resident Liaison Officer, all volunteered at Arts for All, a creative charity based in London which runs art therapy sessions for people with special needs.
  • Marketing crew Tim Aslett and Kurt Mussell volunteered at The AHOY Centre which helps disadvantaged children in Deptford learn life skills on the water.
  • HR Intern Grace D’Souza volunteered at Hope in Depression,  supporting individuals managing depression and/or anxiety.

Volunteering to support Demelza

At the Warehouse: RLOs Sarah Cooper, Martine Hales, Adila Gredelj, Donna Tryhall Adila Gredelj, Elma Gredelj, Christina Castle and Ben Nitsch, Electrician, sorted donated items at Demelza’s warehouse in Maidstone, Kent for delivery to Demelza’s charity shops.

And In the Garden: Lorrae Mannering, Commercial Manager,  Katie Hayes, Team Leader, Gary Weaver, Multi-trader, Bradley Emms, Groundworker, Michael Kitts, Multitrader Steve Hogben, Electrician Jake Remon, Apprentice Electrician, Emily Nisbett Commercial Analyst,  Stuart Carlow, Plumber, Thomas Darling, Apprentice Plumber, Ryan Kelly, Plumber, Louie Attaway, Plumber, Anthony Veal, Supervisor, Geoffrey Collins, Multitrader, Michael Kitts, Plasterer, Stephanie Hendry, Administrator and Amelia Randall, Scheduler, all spruced up the gardens at Demelza’s Sittingbourne Hospice.

Two Sittingbourne operatives, Nigel Blackshaw and Dave Day, helped Demelza by collecting Christmas trees in Tunbridge Wells, Bromley, Medway and Swale. Demelza will use the trees for topping up bark pathways, mulching underneath trees and hedges and composting in the grounds of the Sittingbourne Hospice.

Main picture: Francesca Fordham, Rositsa Kormeva, Tanya Edwards, Sarah Cooper and Connor Ritson from Projects volunteered to raise funds at Morrisons in Thamesmead for Demelza.

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Axis Person fundraising for Demelza with skydiveNews

In our Element – 12 Months of Fun Fundraising

Axis people are in our element – snow, ice, water, air, mud – when we are fundraising. Swimming, boxing, flying, running, climbing, walking, dancing, eating (even not eating) – there’s no stopping us!

In the last twelve months (2018/9) we raised nearly £40,000 for Demelza Children’s Hospice and of course our very own Axis Foundation. You’ll have seen us in our office-based Axis Bake Offs and Charity Dress Down Fridays. Plus you may have spotted some of us:

In the Water

Laura Tuck’s Swimming Challenge raised £565

In the Air

Sadie Hack’s Skydive raised £768

In the Ring

Rebecca Lock’s Kickboxing Tournament raised £110

On Terra Firma

22 Axis Tough Mudders got down and dirty and raised £4,500; 20 of our lovely RLOs took a more sedate walk in the park, raising £1,300. Nicola Williams’ South Coast Challenge raised £1,300; Nayim Rahman’s City Runs contributed £447 and our brave runners who completed The Big Half Marathon put £4,000 into the collection tin.

And on Terra not so firm!

Five Men on summit of Arctic Mountain for Demelza Arctic Challenge Fundraiser
Ain’t no mountain high enough! Our brave chilly challengers, Axis Arctic Challenge Team completed a four-day 100km trek up Mt Kebnekaise, the highest mountain in Sweden and raised £10,000. Their hearts were greatly warmed by enthusiastic peer support at the Arctic Challenge Quiz Night (£1,700) and Race Night (£1,200). Their courage scooped them Demelza’s Bespoke Fundraising Event of the Year Award.

On the Dance Floor

Our Axis Disco raised funds to the tune of £2,000.
And finally…

On – and off – a Diet

Selection of cakes at Bake sale fundraising for Demelza
Afternoon Tea Week and Sarah Cooper’s Cake sale put £400 worth of icing on the cake; Michelle Wilson’s Biggest Loser Competition gained an impressive £78. And the seven brave chocoholics who gave up chocolate during Dechox for Demelza added a sweet £745 to the melting pot.

But that’s not all!

Our annual Axis Foundation Charity Ball and Axis Foundation Celebrity Golf Day both took place again this year, adding even more to the fundraising pot for great causes.

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