Lancashire housewares manufacturer and exporter, What More UK, have a long standing tradition of giving back to local charities, to support their local communities. What More UK is one of the largest and houseware manufacturers in the UK, with the popular brand Wham, available in every major UK supermarket and a further 1600 independent retailers.
Last year, staff from What More UK took on the tough Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for Accrington Stanley Community Trust. Braving the awful weather, the team successfully completed the challenge in just 10 hours 36 minutes, and raised a fantastic £11,645. This year, Team Wham have pledged to take on the National challenge, this time for local charity Derian House. The team are colleagues from various departments right across the organisation, from toolmaking, warehouse, picking, sales – including Operations Director Garry Ireland.
The National Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing the three highest peaks of Scotland, England and Wales, often within 24 hours. The total walking distance is 23 miles (37km) and the total ascent is 3064 metres (10,052ft) – twice the ascent of the Yorkshire Three Peaks. Such a tough challenge involves preparation and training, and Team Wham have continued their training from last year with regular group sessions.
The big event, on 10th September 2022, has the aim of beating last year’s target and raising £15,000 for Derian House in Chorley. This is a hospice doing fantastic work providing respite and end-of-life care to more than 450 children and young people across the North West – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Derian House only receive 17% funding from the government, but services cost £5.7 million to run every year, so they really appreciate all donations.
Ann-Marie Wilburn, Community Fundraiser at Derian House, said: “We help children and young people, whose lives are too short, to make happy memories in an environment of fun, respect and above all, outstanding care. We are always grateful for donations to help us carry on our work, and wish Team Wham all the best in their challenge!”
Garry Ireland, Operations Director, said “We really enjoyed last year’s challenge, event though it was really tough on the day. We’ve all carried on training together, and set ourselves an even bigger target for this year. Derian House are a fantastic charity doing superb work, and we hope to smash our goal for them!”
Company Director Tony Grimshaw OBE, added: “Last year I was so pleased to see the team beat their target, and it did wonders for company morale. It’s great to see all the team working together for a great challenge, and I look forward to cheering them on once again, I’m sure they’ll exceed last year’s efforts, and I hope the weather is kinder to them!”
What More’s storage boxes and housewares of all kinds are all made in East Lancashire and are sold in 76 countries around the world. More can be seen on their website here: www.whatmoreuk.com
Team Wham appreciate every donation in their £15,000 quest, and if you would like to show your support to the team, please take a look at their JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/what-more-uk-derian-house
More can be seen about the amazing work of Derian House here: www.derianhouse.co.uk
