David Parkin on a looming corporate challenge, TOWIE, Lord’s in a balloon and growing old gracefully

WE’RE proud to be the media partner again this year for the Clarion Leeds 10K Corporate Challenge race in Leeds which takes place on Sunday.

Mike Tomlinson and his team at Jane Tomlinson’s Rund For All have created an event that keeps growing and there is a fantastic atmosphere on the day.

TheBusinessDesk.com is entering a team again and the pressure is on me to finish in a decent time. When David Harrop, the FD of Moorgarth Properties in Leeds saw my time last year he was prompted to email me in shock, saying he had previously only thought of me as a hard drinking and smoking journalist rather than a finely honed athlete (I added the last bit).

Every time I have seen him since he tells me he is in training and his goal is to finish in front of me. While I’m not the most competitive person in the world, personal pride means that I must rise to such a challenge.

Now if I could not only finish ahead of David, but be leaning on the finish line with a fag and a pint (like would happen in a cartoon) that would be an achievement.

Ahead of the event, the Run For All team held a corporate evening for the teams taking place in the Corporate Challenge. After a few inspiring words from Clarion head honcho Roger Hutton we all took part in an interactive quiz on tablets and mobiles.

Selected members of teams also had to take challenges which ranged from a Scalextric car race, static bike racing and even eating 10 Jaffa Cakes in the shortest time possible.

At the end of the event I turned to my colleagues and remarked how the event had successfully contributed to team bonding and been a morale booster as well as being inspiring too.

“I agree,” said one of my workmates. “It was amazing. Can we do a Jaffa Cake challenge in the office tomorrow?”

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AN email arrives from a ‘talent’ company in London.

Apparently it has 12 ‘exclusive’ clients who are currently looking for hair/clothes/beauty/sports and other products which they could endorse.

And who are they?

Well they including “TOWIE boys and girls, Danielle Armstrong, Ricky Rayment, James Lock and Georgia Kousoulou”.

For those of you not in the know, TOWIE is short for ITV reality show The Only Way is Essex.

And there’s more, as Jimmy Cricket used to say.

They also have other clients including Stella English (Apprentice Winner) and Dappy.

I shall watch with interest to see which brands decide to invest in such high profile brand ambassadors.

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GIVEN my sporting success peaked when I helped start a Mexican wave at a test match, I hope you can forgive me indulging when I do have a rare chance to celebrate.

Regular readers may remember my ectasy after triumphing in the inaugural Lord’s Taverners Yorkshire Balloon Debate last year.

The charity event pitches four celebrities (or in last year’s case, three celebs and a journalist drafted in at short notice because Nigel Farage of UKIP couldn’t make it) against each other, speaking to an audience about their sporting hero.

The loose premise is these four are all in a balloon losing height and one must get thrown out after giving a six minute speech on their chosen sports person. The remaining three then speak for four minutes, before the audience votes another out leaving the two left to speak for a final two minutes each before the audience votes for a winner.

And despite facing the talent of BBC presenter Harry Gration, football commentator John Helm and Scottish comedy actor Gordon…
my inspired choice of hard drinking womanising former Huddersfield Town footballer Frank Worthington was eventually voted the winner.

Now Simon Chappell, the chairman of the Lord’s Taverners in Yorkshire who sold his Backup Technology business last year and now devotes his time to race horses and charity work, has arranged the 2014 Balloon Debate and invited me to attend, not to speak, but to present the prize to the winner, “US Masters-style” is how Simon put it, ensuring my immediate acceptance of this auspicious invitation.

Another strong line-up includes former Yorkshire and England cricketer Anthony McGrath, Eastenders actor and producer Ryan Philpott and David Callaghan, the BBC’s voice of cricket in Yorkshire.

The dinner takes place on the evening of Thursday, September 4 at Aspire in Leeds with a table of 10 priced at a very reasonable £695 which includes a champagne reception and three course meal.

To book a place or for more details contact Simon Chappell at simon@equineorigin.com

Guests should be advised that I will happily sign menus and copies of my CV for a small fee.

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THEY used to say that you knew you were getting old when policemen started looking younger than you.

Well in a week when a number of newly appointed Cabinet ministers were younger than me, I also had another sobering experience.

I drank Sancerre on a stag do in Chester.

I know, I’m ashamed.

It’s all downhill from here.

Hopefully via a river of Sancerre and Chablis.

Have a great weekend.