Hollywood Monster’s support for cyclist reaps rewards

BIRMINGHAM signs and graphics firm Hollywood Monster is celebrating after the West Midlands-based up-and-coming GB cycling star it is sponsoring clinched victory in the National Championships during her first season with a pro-team.

Lucy Shaw, of Solihull Cycling Club, who joined the Matrix Fitness development team less than a year ago, took the top spot in the Junior Women’s Scratch Race at the British Cycling Youth & Junior Track Championships, held at the Manchester Velodrome.

The win came just days after she took silver in the Junior Women Points Race in the same championships event.

Hollywood Monster signed up as an official sponsor of Matrix Fitness, a team at the forefront of the development of women’s cycling in the UK, in December last year and sponsors Lucy so that she can focus on building a career as a professional cyclist.

Tim Andrews, managing director of Tyseley-based Hollywood Monster and a keen cyclist, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to see that Lucy is already taking the competitive cycling world by storm, taking medals and winning her first major junior tournament since joining Matrix Fitness development team.

“We’re pleased that our support has enabled her to make such a solid start in her cycling career. She is definitely an athlete to keep an eye on for the future.”

Hollywood Monster’s sponsorship of Matrix Fitness is in addition to the company’s support for Birmingham City Ladies FC, which it has sponsored for the past four years.

Community TV station raises more than £100,000 for Nepal relief

THE Sikh Channel has raised over £100,000 to provide much needed relief for the survivors of the devastating earthquakes in Nepal in April.
 
Following reports of more than 8,000 deaths and the destruction of more than 130,000 homes, the West Midlands-based TV channel conducted daily appeals to viewers for cash donations to help provide aid for those injured and left homeless.
 
More than £60,000 was donated to ShelterBox to provide immediate relief, with highly portable shelter kits particularly useful in high altitude mountain communities, and the more familiar green ShelterBoxes which contain essential items including water containers and filtration, custom designed tents, mosquito nets, solar lights and cooking equipment.

The additional £40,000 raised will be utilised for on-going reconstruction projects.
 
Davy Bal, chairman at Sikh Channel, said: “We have had a fantastic response to the coverage of the events in Nepal broadcasted in recent months and have been absolutely overwhelmed by the kindness demonstrated by our viewers globally.”
 
  

Mazars counting the days until business challenge

SEVEN runners from the Birmingham office of accountants Mazars have signed up for the Morrisons Great Birmingham Run Business Challenge on 18th October, the first time they have entered. 
 
The tax, audit and financial planning teams will be represented by three women and four men who will be training hard for the big day.

Mazars is fundraising for prevention of young suicide charity, PAPYRUS.

Spokesman Laurence Moore said: “We are all delighted to have the opportunity to run in the Great Birmingham Run and are really looking forward to the challenge.

“We are of course proud to be representing Mazars, but also hope that it raises awareness for such a worthy charity.”

A new incentive has been added to this year’s Morrisons Great Birmingham Business Challenge, with Midlands companies given the chance to win an exclusive professional training session for their team by submitting a 60 second training video.

Fundraising project a page turner for Wesleyan

YOUNG patients from Birmingham Children’s Hospital are providing the inspiration for a new story book written and illustrated by a local author and artist and supported by Wesleyan, the specialist financial services mutual.

Author Juliet Clare Bell from Moseley, Birmingham, has been visiting the hospital in recent months to get ideas from sick and injured youngsters to develop an original story that will be illustrated by Coventry artist Dave Gray. The final results will be put together into a book ready to be sold in aid of Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s Magnolia House Appeal.

Wesleyan, a neighbour of the hospital in Birmingham city centre, is covering all the costs of the publication.

Liz McKenzie, Wesleyan’s group corporate services director and chair of its charity advisory committee, said: “There is nothing more potent than a child’s imagination and we can’t wait to find out what ideas they’ve come up with and how they have been turned into a story by Clare and Dave.”