15 February 2023
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From left, Sally Woodward, Sam Ali, Jonathan Thorne, Richard West, Chris Ashton, James Garwell, Omar Soliman and John Dobson
A group of eight colleagues from Brighouse-based refrigeration and air conditioning manufacturer TEV will be taking on the Great North Run this September in support of national healthcare charity Sue Ryder, which runs Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in nearby Oxenhope.
Now in its 42nd year, the Great North Run will take participants on a 13.1-mile route from Newcastle to South Shields and is the largest half marathon route in the world.
Richard West, sales manager for Marstair at TEV, who is heading up the team, said: “I took up running during lockdown and in December 2020 I decided to sign up for Sue Ryder’s December Daily Dash challenge as my wife was just about to start a new job at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. After that I then went on to run the London Marathon for Sue Ryder in 2021, which was an amazing experience.”
Last year Richard, who lives in Bingley, once again added to his fundraising total for Sue Ryder by running the iconic Great North Run alongside John Dobson, the Managing Director of TEV.
“John and I are both keen runners, and we thought that this could be a great challenge for a team of colleagues to take on together in 2023, while raising money for a very worthwhile charity,” he said. “Once we shared the idea with TEV, we were delighted that six more employees were keen to get involved.
“Some people in our team have run a bit, but generally they’re all novice runners. We have a few months to go, but they have already started to prepare by getting more active and we’re hoping to do the Keighley 10k and 5k next month too. I’ve noticed that there’s definitely less treats being brought into the office!”
Talking about why they’re supporting Sue Ryder, Richard said “Sue Ryder provides a vital service for people in our community and we’re proud to do our bit to raise money to support its expert care. I’d rather run and raise money for a charity – it makes it more enjoyable knowing that you are doing it for a good cause.”
Adam Brunskill, Community Fundraiser at Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice, said “We are so grateful to Richard, John and the team at TEV for signing up for the Great North Run to raise funds for Sue Ryder. This is a huge challenge to undertake and we will be cheering them on all the way! As a charity we rely heavily on supporters and businesses donating and fundraising for us, so we can continue to be there when it matters.”
To donate to the TEV Ltd team’s JustGiving page, visit: justgiving.com/team/TEVGNR2023.
