Away from the prying eyes of public open day attendees , the days spent setting up at industry exhibitions always brings about a visible sense of excitement for exhibitors involved , as manufacturers and key organisations start to build displays and take the covers off some of the most exciting new products to hit the market . This year at the FIT Show however , the team from Made for Trade had an unusual extra element to their stand alongside the multi-award winning Korniche aluminium glazing products : some impressive two-wheeled precision engineering that had arrived just in the nick of time for the end of setup day in Birmingham . The beads of sweat in this instance were however not on the forehead of a stand builder ; tensely awaiting a last-minute missing piece of an exhibition stand . Instead , they were dispersed from Made for Trade Operations Director Chris Wann and Head of Business Development Leigh Greenwood around the roads leading to Birmingham ; the pair having cycled all the way
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to the event from their North East HQ , as a means of raising funds for Cancer Research UK .
Following months of training , the two departed on the road ride challenge in the early twilight hours of Monday 22 May , with the wheels in motion at 2:40am to embark on the 200 + mile journey down the country to the West Midlands . The pair ’ s trek covered various counties , towns and villages , and the whole trip was documented and tracked throughout - live on social media via Made for Trade ’ s Facebook page as they wound their way through the UK .
Despite 204 miles covered and nearly 15 hours of constant pedaling , Chris and Leigh arrived on site exactly on their target time of 5:15pm ; negotiating the NEC access roads around the huge exhibition
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site as their final navigational challenge in order to draw up outside the main doors . It wasn ’ t a traditional entrance to a show though , as here the weary pair were greeted and cheered in by the whole team of Made for Trade colleagues outside . They weren ’ t alone either ; FIT Show representatives and key personnel from fenestration magazines also joined the welcome party , in front of a backdrop formed by the big screens at the NEC main entrance that showcased the arrival live in full colour around the site .
Whilst it is certainly a rather extreme way to swerve having to help with the setup of the impressive MFT exhibition stand , Chris and Leigh did still made their mark on the display , once their pair of bikes took centre stage within the Made for Trade floorspace . The charity challenge continued to bring in donations across the three days , whilst the bikes were surrounded by company logos of all the businesses that had committed impressive financial support to the pair in their fundraising endeavour .
Donations were quick paced from the start of fundraising earlier in the year , but quickly ramped up as the departure date drew closer . The total soon crept into five figures ;
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however it was on arrival at FIT that the sum raised for Cancer Research UK became even more remarkable . Industry figures , companies and attendees were all incredible in their generosity at the event , and this was duly supplemented by the hugely generous donation from Andy Westhead at Glass Times who presented a cheque for £ 5,000 at the end of the show , as the chosen charity from money raised from the FITSHOW Passport venture .
Made for Trade Operations Director Chris Wann said : “ FIT Show has always been about the attendees and people as much as the show itself , which meant there was no better place for us to attempt a Made for Trade fundraising effort .
“ The work done by Cancer Research UK is second to none and relentless for something that affects so many people . Taking on this challenge was a great way to bring in valuable donations and raise awareness , but nothing compared to the hard work done by the charity in continuing to make progress . Ultimately , myself , Leigh and all at Made for Trade have been bowled over by the generosity and support by the industry , FIT Show and of course friends and family .”
www . madefortrade . co
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74 JULY 2023 |
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM |