National award recognition for PWS’ outstanding contribution to charity
PWS’ Blood Sweat & Gears charity project, in aid of Help For Heroes, has been crowned ‘Challenge Event Of The Year’ at the prestigious national Business Charity Awards. With a competitive field of entries, from large corporates including Lloyds Banking Group, The Royal Mail and Wolseley Group, PWS was commended for raising £314,000, with its inspiring and exceptional project delivered by a relatively small business.
5th-generation family business, PWS, aimed to raise £250,000 to support Phoenix House, the Northern Help For Heroes Recovery Centre. Mark Stephenson, PWS’ CEO, led an endurance-cycling team of staff, friends and four veterans over 320 punishing miles of 22,000ft climbs across South Africa in April 2016.
Comments Mark Stephenson, CEO at PWS, “I am so proud that the Blood Sweat & Gears’ challenge has been recognised as best in class. To stand out amongst large companies is something very special and is testament to the commitment and energy of everyone connected with the challenge. It was truly inspiring to witness the creativity and hard work put into this project by staff, suppliers and customers alike, all of whom played a role in its success. I extend my heartfelt thanks to them, as well as the truly Great British public, who embraced my ‘pie-in-the-sky’ idea and enabled us to walk away with this prestigious award.”
Now in their eighth year, the Third Sector’s Business Charity Awards recognise the outstanding contributions made by UK businesses who pride themselves on educating the wider business community about the best ways to support good causes.
Michaela Slay, Events’ Project Manager at Help For Heroes says, “We are delighted that PWS’ incredible project has been recognised at a national level. Historically PWS’ donation of adapted kitchens has supported our beneficiaries’ long-term wellbeing whilst their commitment to vocational training gives veterans a real focus for their move to civilian employment. However, with their Blood Sweat & Gears’ challenge they have created amazing opportunities to support beneficiaries suffering with mental health issues, enabling us to change more veterans’ lives and, in some cases, save lives over the next three years. Delivering a profound impact on the Recovery Centre’s capabilities, it propels PWS into the realms of making their own employees lives richer whilst engaging them in service to others.”
The national business charity accolade is the 2nd award for the Blood Sweat & Gears project. In November 2016 the project was rewarded with a Help For Heroes’ Hero Award. The money donated will fund three additional wellbeing advisors over three years for the charity’s psychological wellbeing program. The programme delivers early intervention mental health support for wounded, injured and sick veterans and their families.
Stu, Blood Sweat & Gears’ veteran challenge cyclist, sums up, “We are living proof that Blood Sweat & Gears has done a lot of good and we’re just 4 blokes so across the whole Help For Heroes’ world, and its beneficiaries, it’s going to do a massive amount of things. We could thank them all day and it wouldn’t be enough.”
Find out more about Blood Sweat & Gears and its incredible success at www.bloodsweatandgears.cc or to learn about the work of Help For Heroes visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk