#border2border

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/10/19/this-one-is-for-the-girls/

This One Is For The Girls

GM Fundraising is well known in the industry for their epic cycling challenges and they have just launched their next one.  GMFP2P is a bit different – not only is GM Fundraising introducing a paddle to their pedal, but this event is exclusively for the ladies of the industry.   Paddle2Pedal will take place in August next year and the 12 strong all-female team met last week, at headline sponsors Epwin Group’s offices in Telford, for the launch.

“This is the first time GM Fundraising has organised a challenge for females only” says Gary Morton, chairman of GM Fundraising.  “Thanks to the efforts of headline sponsors Epwin, we have recruited a group of keen and competitive ladies to take on this challenge, which will see them canoe 100 miles and cycle around 120 miles, with an abseil thrown in the middle.”

“We are lucky that Epwin is also providing the canoeing expertise in the form of their xxxx, Mike Bache.  Of course, being veterans of most GM Fundraising cycling challenges, myself and Alan Sadler will be supporting the team with the cycling leg.

“The team will start from Glasbury on 20th August next year.  Over the next 5 days they will be averaging 20 miles a day in a canoe, paddling down the wilds of the River Wye.  They will stop off at Bredwardine, Hereford, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth, before finally arriving in Chepstow on Day 5.  For those that are really keen to take on the additional challenge there is an abseil at Symonds Yat, although this is optional.  Day 6 will see the team commence on the 120 mile cycling part of the challenge, ending up at Hope House Children’s Hospice in Oswestry on Day 7.  The children, for who this is all in support of, will be welcoming us home, making the perfect ending to what is going to be a tremendous event.”

Claire O’Hara, divisional managing director of Epwin, and GMFP2P team member adds: “I have followed the previous challenges run by GM Fundraising with interest, and have wanted to do an all-female event for some time.  When we came up with the concept of Paddle2Pedal I couldn’t wait to get involved!  I am grateful to the support of Epwin Group, who are completely behind their three members of staff taking up the challenge, and are also the headline sponsor of the whole event.

“The team from GM Fundraising covered a very detailed plan at the GMFP2P launch, as well as setting a very comprehensive training plan for us all to start on over the winter.  We will be hitting the water in the Spring, when hopefully the temperature is a little warmer!”

Gary concludes: “Although this one is for the ladies the challenge is no less with Peddle2Pedal.  Each member of the team will be looking for your support to raise much needed funds for the children at Hope House Children’s Hospice.  They will be covering their own costs for the event, so every penny we raise will go directly to the children.”

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/05/31/20-years-of-gm-fundraising/

20 Years of GM Fundraising

April was a busy month for GM Fundraising, with record funds raised at the FIT Show and preparations for the Border2Border Cycling Challenge in full swing. It was little different 20 years ago, as the end of April saw the 20th anniversary of the first ever GM Fundraising event. Always intended to be a one-time occasion, a dinner was held in Birmingham to raise money for Zoe’s Place

Gary Morton, founder of GM Fundraising comments, “I was asked to be involved in organising this dinner as a one-off event. We aimed to have 300 guests to the Grand Hotel in Birmingham with the target of raising £5,000 for Zoe’s Place, a baby’s hospice in Liverpool. In order to collect the funds, we set up an account at the bank – and with little thought behind it, the account was created in the name of GM (Gary Morton) Fundraising. We smashed our target by raising over £16,500 and it became the bedrock of our fundraising efforts”

“In 2004 we added to our portfolio by organising the first ever Golf Day at Patshull Park Hotel & Golf Club near Wolverhampton. It was then that we also welcomed Dave Broxton to the team to help run this event.”

Dave adds: “The competition was a fourball team Stableford with the two best scores from each hole counting. The day concluded with a presentation dinner, entertainment from a comedian, a raffle and charity auction, with all proceed going to Hope House Children’s Hospices. Total Glass were the winners, who went on to represented GM Fundraising in the regional final of ‘The Times’ Corporate Golf Challenge. The event raised over £7,500.

“With the Border2Border ride nearly upon us it’s also a timely reminder of the first ever GM Fundraising Cycle Ride which took place in June 2005. Top2Bottom challenged us to cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End. Our target was to raise £15,000 – we raised over £51,000.”

Gary concludes: “With your astounding support we have raised more than £1.3 million over the years. The team of industry based, motivated volunteers who run GM Fundraising, give their time freely and are committed to delivering the highest quality events whilst ensuring that every penny raised reaches the children and families at Hope House. Without the team GM Fundraising would not exist. So thanks go to everyone involved, past and present, and to the wonderful supporters in this great industry of ours – Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

“We are continuing to expand with new events, such as the Footy Fives and GMF Cup, so it’s onwards and upwards to £2.0 million, our next target.”

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/03/22/gmf-b2b-team-are-fit/

GMF B2B Team are FIT

With less than three months to go and a quarter of the way towards their fundraising target, GM Fundraising and the Border2Border cycling team will be appearing throughout the FIT Show on Stand A22.

Gary Morton says “We were delighted and overwhelmed to be offered a stand at FIT 2016 by Matthew Glover and Paul Godwin, both members of this year’s B2B team. We saw this as an amazing opportunity to showcase to the industry the challenge we are undertaking during the 2016 Border2Border cycling challenge. Proudly sponsored by Deceuninck, the ride starts in Vancouver Canada on 12th June and the 18 strong cycling team, aided by 6 support crew, will cross seven mountain ranges and two deserts, covering over 2,000 miles, with 92,000ft of climbing, in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees, as they make their way to the Mexican border.

“Members of the team will be on the stand throughout the show offering up a ‘beat the pro’ challenge. The riders are all well into their training now for this mammoth challenge so why not come along to the stand and pit yourself against our riders in a 30 second sprint challenge on the WattBike?

Hope House Children’s Hospices will be along to support us on the stand and Fundraising Manager Alison Marsh comments: “We are really excited to be helping GM Fundraising on their FIT Show stand. As one of the largest contributors to Hope House, we see the benefits of the amazing support the glazing industry gives to GM Fundraising every day. We are looking forward to meeting and greeting existing friends and new members of the industry and having the opportunity to personally thank everyone for the difference they make to the children’s lives. We will be available to talk to throughout the show about the services the hospice offers and how the funds our supporters like GM Fundraising are spent. Please come along, we would love to talk to you!”

Gary adds “Although the ride is prominent in our own minds, it’s not just about the cycling – we would also love to talk to anyone interested in joining any of our other fundraising events taking place this year. We hope to see you at some point during the show.”

New Post has been published on http://www.mytrade.tv/2016/03/21/fit-show-backs-kids-charities-again/

Fit Show backs kids charities again

The FIT Show will be throwing its fundraising efforts behind two key charities again, in a bid to add to the thousands raised by window industry people working for good causes in previous years.

Efforts at this year’s FIT Show will once again be dedicated to raising funds for the Hope House children’s hospices, which has become the de facto industry charity through the continued efforts of industry veteran Gary Morton and his GM Fundraising vehicle.

This year’s fundraising feat is the Border2Border cycle ride, which is being supported physically by members of the FIT Show team. The event sees 18 riders and 6 support crew – many of whom work in the window and door industry – cycle 2,016 miles from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico. The ride involves climbing a total of 92,295 feet through seven mountain ranges and in temperatures of more than 40 degrees.

The 2013 ride along Route 66 raised almost £200,000 for Hope House, which provides care and support to life limited children, young people and their families. The goal for this year’s ride, a significantly tougher venture than Route 66, is to exceed this sum. Riders and the support team pay their own expenses with 100% of funds raised going to the charity.

Guests at the FIT Show Gala Dinner will be encouraged to dig deep whilst the GM team will be attending The FIT Show throughout to accept donations or even just good wishes.

In a further effort, following a similar fundraiser last year The FIT Show is a headline sponsor of the 2016 MADi Rally, a ‘pay-to-play’ invitation event that involves around 50 drivers and co-drivers in ‘modern classic’ cars who will wend their way to Monaco and back. The 2015 run raised £130,000 for the Anthony Nolan Trust, which matches bone marrow donors to patients.

Further details of Border2Border may be found at: http://www.gmfundraising.co.uk/border2border/

For the MADi Rally go to: http://www.madifundraising.com