Charity latest: Oakapple Group; RBSIF; Simon on the Streets; Garbutt & Elliott; Sheffield Forgemasters

YORKSHIRE property developers, the Oakapple Group, is supporting a gruelling cycle charity challenge.

Philip Taylor, chairman of the Leeds-based business is backing a team of former rugby stars, led by Rugby World Cup winner and Lions player, Simon Shaw MBE, to complete a cycle ride with a difference from Hampton Court to Paris.
The journey will be made on a seven seater cobi, a conference bike, so called because you can have a conference while on the bike.

Joining Simon in the 12-strong team, supported by two mechanics, will be former rugby stars including Andy Gomarsall, Serge Betsen, fellow British Lion Tim Payne, and Kenny Logan.

Oakapple Group, which is currently developing an £18m mixed-use scheme in Clapham, has pledged £5000 for the team to make the 350 mile journey, starting from London on Thursday and arriving in Paris, via Portsmouth, on July 21 in time to see the Tour de France enter the city.
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RBS Invoice Finance (RBSIF) has raised more than £15,000 at a recent charity fundraising dinner.

Staff from RBSIF’s Leeds and Manchester offices organised the event, which raised £15,700 and was held at The Queens Hotel in Leeds, raised funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, Barnardo’s, Oxfam, Plan International (UK), Room to Read, and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Over 200 people from across the Yorkshire and Lancashire business community attended the event.

John Gribbon, regional managing director for RBS Invoice Finance in the North said: “It is great that the local business communities across Yorkshire and Lancashire have come together to raise money for these charities and we would like to thank everyone involved for their support.”
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SIMON on the Streets – supporting the homeless and rootless in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield – has announced a search for the corporate sponsorship needed to ensure the success of its biggest annual fundraising initiative.

The Sponsored Sleep Out is currently scheduled for September and expects to see 100 members of the region’s business community sleep in the open air at a city centre location in Leeds, to raise money and highlight the plight of those sleeping rough.

Due to be the initiative’s fourth year, managers at Simon on the Streets are seeking commercial sponsors to support the cost of operations and logistics, as well as contribute towards the overall fundraising target of £20,000.
 
Director Clive Sandle said: “The Sleep Out has proved to be a great way for business and individuals alike to show their support, engage with what we do and experience the lifestyle of those individuals that we’re here to help.”
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YORKSHIRE accountancy firm Garbutt & Elliott has joined the Leeds-based 100 Club, the special business-led charity scheme that is the driving force behind the Leeds Community Foundation charity.

Garbutt & Elliott, which has offices in Leeds and York, is now actively supporting the Community Foundation, which raises money to meet basic social needs and enhance the overall quality of community life in the city.

Nigel Shaw, the partner in charge of charities at Garbutt & Elliott, said: “The 100 Club provides an easy way for key individuals and companies in Leeds to show they care about the city and its people. As a firm, we are committed to the community in which we work and our membership of the 100 Club enables us to help make a difference.”
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THE Blades have awarded Sheffield Forgemasters International (SFIL) the use of an executive box at Bramall Lane, to say thank you for raising thousands of pounds at a charity football tournament.
 
Staff from SFIL raised £6,000 by entering two teams into Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity’s Team of Steel Cup in May.
 
20 teams from the across the region took part in the fundraiser at The Lane for the Cancer Charity’s ‘Do Your Bit Campaign’, which is raising money to provide a new Cancer Research and Treatment Suite at Weston Park Hospital.
 
Dave McCarthy, Sheffield United operations director, said: “United wanted to thank the team that raised the most money and so we have presented Sheffield Forgemasters with the use of an executive box for the first game of the season, as collectively they raised a huge amount.”