A team from Macknade Fine Foods have signed up for the inaugural Ragnar White Cliffs Relay on the 23rd & 24th September 2017 – a 175 mile nonstop running relay starting in Maidstone, travelling through Faversham and finishing in Brighton more than 24 hours later. The team will be raising money for Pilgrims Hospices, a local charity that provides incredible care to patients & their families in East Kent.
This is the first Ragnar Relay outside of the USA, and is made up of ten runners taking it in turns to run the entire distance, supported by two vehicles. Finnian Dunlop, General Manager at Macknade Fine Foods first came across it whilst training for another race and pulled a team together.
He explained, “This year we have focussed a great deal on giving our staff opportunities & challenges to take part in together. This has been spearheaded by our Finance Manager, Emma, who has organised a number of running challenges, as well as It’ s A Knockout and a very muddy fun run. When we found out about the Ragnar Relay, several of us jumped at the chance to take part. It is a unique challenge and will be tackled with energy, fortitude and of course, good humour; three values that we recognise as equally critical for the amazing team at Pilgrims Hospices.”
Rosie Collins, Marketing Manager at Macknade Fine Foods, spoke about the importance of Pilgrims Hospices to the team at Macknade, “We want to take the opportunity to use this challenge as a way of raising money for a great cause. Many of us have been touched personally by the work of Pilgrims Hospices and it is an organisation we have enormous respect for. We wanted to give something back and make it count.”
The team are already receiving great support, including the provision of two vans from Practical Car & Van Hire in Sittingbourne. Ian Smith, Managing Director, commented, “Practical Car & Van Rental Sittingbourne are proud to be supporting the Macknade team taking part in the Ragnar Relay. They are raising money for an incredible charity with staff that deliver the best care possible to all their patients. We wish the Macknade team all the best in this gruelling challenge!”
Deborah Kellond, Community Fundraising Manager at Pilgrims Hospices, added “I am full of admiration for the Macknade Ragnar Relay team who have taken the plunge and entered this first-time in the UK extreme challenge, all in the name of charity. We are delighted that Macknade have continued their relationship with Pilgrims Hospices and have chosen our local charity to be the beneficiary of their hard work and months of training. We will be following their progress with interest and wish the whole team and their supporters the very best of luck in September.”
Over the next few months Macknade will be carrying out various fundraising activities in their quest to raise £2000. The team are fully engaged with the fundraising and would like to invite all customers, suppliers, and anyone who wishes to donate to Pilgrims Hospices, to sponsor them at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/macknaderagnarchallenge
You can also keep track of the team’s efforts on the Macknade blog http://www.macknade.com/community/blog/.
