A team of estate agents from Ryder & Dutton, based in Lindley, have launched their most ambitious fundraising initiative to date, travelling the breadth of Yorkshire to Lancashire on foot or two wheels to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Over 80 staff from Ryder & Dutton and its parent company, Northern Estate Agencies Group, which also owns Manning Stainton and Mortimers, have joined together for The Coffee Cup Relay from Monday September 25 to Friday September 29, walking, running and cycling their way between each of the company’s 36 branches to raise thousands for the charity.
The relay began in Leeds on Monday September 25 and will pass through Huddersfield on Tuesday with two team members walking six miles from the Halifax branch to the Huddersfield branch.
On the morning of Wednesday September 27, two more will then take the baton, walking from Huddersfield to the Colne Valley branch. The final day will see 10 staff walking from Blackburn to Clitheroe to cross the finishing line.
Sales negotiator Jacob Onyando, who came up with the fundraiser, said: “My idea was to cycle to every single branch within our network over a day, but then I realised I wasn’t Bradley Wiggins!
“I took the idea to the senior team and we agreed to extend the challenge to a five-day relay during the week of Macmillan Coffee Morning, and make it on foot as well as on wheels. It’s been great to get involved with everyone from the company and feel that connection. It’s a good way of bringing everyone together.”
Northern Estate Agencies Group, which has a 36-branch network across Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire, has a long-term partnership with Macmillan, with a commitment to raise over £60,000 for the cancer charity in the next four years. It has supported Macmillan Cancer Support in West Yorkshire since 2012.
Sarah Whyte, Macmillan’s relationship fundraising co-ordinator, said: “We are in awe of the collective effort from staff across NEAG’s branches for the inaugural Coffee Cup Relay. If they manage to raise the £5,000 target this could fund a Macmillan nurse for five weeks.
“The company’s drive to raise funds through various activities over the past decade is incredibly humbling, and all money raised will go such a long way in helping Macmillan do whatever it takes for people living with cancer.”
Mark Manning, managing director of NEAG, added: “I’m proud of the whole team for making this mammoth relay happen for a charity that’s so dear to so many of us. We’ve been supporting Macmillan for the past 10 years, because we are so grateful for the invaluable clinical and emotional support they offer to people living with cancer.
“I ran the London marathon this year, so I’ll be donning my running shoes once more and running part of the relay with some of my team. Please drop into any of our branches this week to have a coffee and cake, and support this worthy cause with a much appreciated donation.”
For further information on Manning Stainton’s fundraising efforts for Macmillan, visit Coffee Cup Relay fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support on JustGiving.
