Inspiring Business by Sharing Success
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 25 November 2014
UPDATED: 25 November 2014
A team from Spondon business ACE Environmental Engineering have been working hard raising over £2,600 for autism charity NORSACA.
A team of seven, headed up by ACE Environmental Engineering’s managing director Ian Adams, rode Cycle Derby Sportive’s160km Countrywide Pursuit course in September in aid of the largest specialist autism charity in the East Midlands. The course covered Carsington, Hope Valley, Chatsworth, Beeley, and Crich.
Ian chose to fundraise for autism charity NORSACA as it is an organisation close to his heart. It is the first time the company have done anything like this, but the team gave it their all.
The whole team completed the route in just over nine hours, with the front runners of the team having returned in six and a half.
Ian commented on his experience:
“Cycling the 100 miles (160km) was actually easier than I thought, and I would definitely do it again, however it did start to get gruelling after 80 miles and then again as we hit the hills around Crich.
“Due to different capabilities the team inevitably split into sub groups, (however, I’m told this is something normal in cycling and happens with professionals at the Tours!). The event and the training in the lead up has really brought the team closer together.”
Collecting sponsorship from friends, family, colleagues, customers and suppliers the team, who smashed their target of £2,500, raised £2,638.13, which will support creation of a new Family Support Hub at NORSACA’s Mundy Street Day Service in Heanor for which NORSACA are looking to raise £15,000.
ACE’s office is down the road from NORSACA’s Mundy Street Day Service. The service, which is an autism specific day service offering a wide range of structured activities based on individual requirements and interests, caters for 25 young people and adults aged 19 and above from across the Derbyshire and beyond, and the building that houses the service will also become home to the new Family Support Hub once sufficient funds have been raised.
Melanie Howard, Fund Generation Manager at NORSACA, commented:
“The money the team from ACE has raised is no small amount and will go a long way to helping us create a new service helping dozens of local families affected by autism. We still need to raise almost £12,500 to get the new service off the ground and hope that more individuals and companies will come forward to help out.”
NORSACA offers a wide range of services designed to support people affected by autism, including family services, a specialist school, and outreach and supported living services, as well as residential and day services for young people and adults with autism. It also provides specialist training for parents and professionals. It operates one of the very few autism-specific diagnostic and assessment centres in the country.