Mission
Accomplished
By Leo Forfar
THE VAPER EXPO UK WELCOMED SOME HONOURED
GUESTS AT THE END OF A SPECIAL MISSION
Saturday at the Vaper Expo UK is often the highlight of the weekend
for visitors. This time, as incoming guests basked in the twice-
yearly tradition of Johnnie Lovell’s welcoming speech, they were
treated to the arrival of three men who had cycled over 100 miles
to get there – all to raise money for charity.
James Benzie, Terry Tomlinson and Sam Maddox successfully
rode from Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, all the way to the NEC despite
never having done a physical challenge on this level before. The
goal was to raise £1,000 for Cancer Research UK, with any surplus
going to Diabetes UK in honour of friend and former team member
Martin Hearn.
They hit their target easily, raising £1,107 overall and managing to
help both charities. We can add this one to the pile of Vaper Expo
UK events that more than lived up to the hype.
James, the organiser, has always kept charity close to heart. He
stopped smoking only a year ago, and when joining the vaping
community, he saw how much smoking cessation relies on a desire
to help others.
“Even before I got involved with the vape trade and started running
the shop, I believed community comes first.”
Speaking of community, James’ plans for next year’s big charity
event at the Vaper Expo already reflect how well he’s integrated
into the show’s spirit of raising the stakes and outdoing the previous
instalment. He will enter the October 2019 show with a team three
times the size and a whole new method of transportation.
“Even before I got involved with the vape
trade and started running the shop, I believed
community comes first.”
“We want to do rowing next time. I’ve got a team of twelve on
board already. We’ll be covering a distance just as long, following
the same route, though we’ll need to get out of the canal every 30
miles to open the locks!”
James also wanted to give a special shout out to The Vape Vape
Show and its hosts John and Jake Vapes and Rhiannon Parkinson.
Their charity auction helped get some extra funds in, pulling
donations from some pretty big (and very generous) companies in
the UK vape trade.
For now, James is taking a much-deserved rest, having completed
the ride despite an Achilles injury.
“I didn’t walk for three days after!”
Not content with just raising the bar annually at the October expo,
James is committed to similar events all year round, which are
becoming a staple of the close-knit community found in vaping.
He has expressed a desire to work closely with Andy’s Man Club,
an organisation tackling the suicide crisis among men via support
groups and other outreach programs. Founded in memory of rugby
player Andy Roberts, the club is best known for the #itsokaytotalk
campaign, providing a place where men can openly talk about their
burdens without stigmatisation.
VM20 | 113