Gripple family’s ‘jailbreakers’ raise thousands in latest charity effort
During Jailbreak, the Gripple ‘family’s’ latest innovative fund raising event, six of its ‘inmates’ raised almost £6,000 for charity after getting as far as they could from their ‘prison’ in 48 hours without laying out any cash for transport.
Breaking out of Loadhog’s Sheffield base were Cat King, the company’s sales and marketing coordinator and its supply chain coordinator, Jen Handley who raised the most after ‘blagging’ their way the furthest – to Dalaman in Turkey 1,822 miles away – raising a massive £5,000 for the city’s Weston Park Cancer Hospital from donations, sponsorship and bucket rattling.Following weeks planning their ‘break for freedom’, the runaways ‘forced’ lifts out of people, caught a free bus thanks to First Bus, ‘robbed’ a number of people all along their escape route, boarded a plane at Robin Hood Airport for a gratis flight, courtesy of Thomson and First Choice, who also covered the girls’ accommodation.
On her return to ‘custody’, Catherine said, ‘Jen and I had lots of fun in supporting this worthwhile charity, but we simply could not have got so far and raised so much if it hadn’t been for so many generous and helpful people – most of all Thomson and First Choice! We are immensely grateful to everyone who supported us in our escapade!’
Natalie Bishop, who manages the Handsworth Road First Choice shop in Sheffield, said, ‘Thomson and First Choice are so proud to have supported Jen and Cat in this challenge and to see the amount raised so far is really awe inspiring. We are also pleased that they enjoyed their trip to Dalaman in Turkey, which is still a popular choice for customers seeking some last minute sunshine. It is great to think that this money will go to such a deserving a charity and I’m sure it will also go a long way in helping members of our local community.’
The rest of the money to help not only Weston Park Hospital but also Sheffield Children’s Hospital, The Royal Society for the Blind and The Alzheimer’s Society was raised by other members of the Sheffield based manufacturing family – comprising Gripple, Loadhog,, the transit packaging innovator and Incub, the potential entrepreneurs’ ‘incubator’.
Gripple’s Garry Hallatt and Ben Haigh posed as masked gunmen, brandishing collecting buckets and ‘hijacking’ transport getting them to Whitby where they ‘hit’ members of the public. Incub’s Gordon Macrae and Richard Hewitt cycled around Sheffield also collecting cash on their way.
