Stiltz employees take pride in supporting good causes close to their hearts as well as in the wider community, through sponsorships and individual or group giving. Anyone in the business can bring suggestions or make requests for sponsorship, charity or fundraising endeavours.
Because we’re all about our people, we have a Stiltz Employee Engagement Meeting (SEEM) which convenes twice a year. Participants share suggestions and updates from across our three UK offices as well as from our extensive field team. They also provide ‘on the ground’ feedback relating to company-wide events. All suggestions and requests are seen by our CEO Mike Lord, who avidly supports employees with getting involved in charities and local communities.
2023 was a very busy year charity-wise and it’s been great to see such a variety of activities taking place. Let’s look at, and celebrate, what some of the Stiltz team achieved.
Cycling for Stoke Mandeville
Back in the summer, we spoke with Assistant Build Manager Kevin Law who told us about the great fundraising work his Grandnephew Jacob had completed over the August bank holiday. After suffering a bad fall at home, his Great Nana Law was admitted to Stoke Mandeville Hospital, which has one of the best spinal units in the world. Jacob knew he wanted to raise funds to help the hospital continue their brilliant work, so he proposed a sponsored bike ride.
Jacob, his Mum, Dad and Grandad, all set off on a three-day bike ride around the New Forest trails pedalling an impressive 121 miles overall. Combining the family’s fundraising efforts with a donation from Stiltz, they raise £3,000 for the hospital. And the good news is his Nana Law is making a steady recovery. Read more about Jacob’s journey here.
New kit for U12s Great Ayton Football Team
One of our talented build team, Terry Tombling reached out for sponsorship assistance. He’s a parent coach for his son’s U12 football team and they were in desperate need of new kit and waterproofs. Previously Mums and Dads would pay for the kit but on this occasion, Stiltz were delighted to contribute and now the children are sporting their iconic black and white stripes but with a slight twist; it’s got smart new Stiltz branding on it!
Swimming for Aspire
Throughout the latter part of last year, Emma Potter, Stiltz’s QUENSH (Quality, Environmental, Safety and Health) Compliance Officer, undertook the Aspire challenge. By swimming the length of the English Channel; 22 miles, in her local pool, Emma helped raise funds which were vital for providing support to help people who have sustained spinal injuries reclaim their independence. She completed the 22 miles on 5th December and raised an impressive £1,057 in total. Read more about Emma’s fundraising here.
Run Elena, Run!
Elena Signorini, Dealer Sales Coordinator based in our Guiseley office, was especially proactive with her running last year having taken part in the Great North Run and Leeds Abbey Dash, the latter of which she completed in 48 minutes, smashing her personal best for a 10K run. She also took on the Leeds Half Marathon finishing in an impressive 1 hour 56 minutes, not bad at all for her first-ever half marathon. In total, Elena raised £520 for the baby loss charity, Tommy’s. Having been bitten by the running bug, Elena tells us she’s looking forward to taking on more challenges and pushing herself further in 2024.
Bridgenorth 10k
In October 2023, Stiltz sponsored the Bridgenorth 10k run by providing water bottles and cereal bars for the runners. Marshalling on the day was CFO Pete Geobey, who helped manage the 450 entrants. Taking part in the run was Stiltz employee Jack Mills, who completed the gruelling hilly route in 55 minutes. Both Pete and Jack are members of their local running clubs and have taken part in the race before. It’s great to see such dedication and passion for the sport.
Team efforts
As well as celebrating individual efforts, it’s also important to look back on all we have achieved as a team …
Macmillan Coffee Morning Bake-Off
To support the annual Macmillan Coffee Morning initiative, the Kingswinford and Guiseley offices took up the Stiltz Baking Challenge with great gusto when cakes and bakes were judged for a fun twist on the Bake-off competition. Winning the coveted star baker aprons were Hannah Burgess in Kingswinford with her lush Death by Chocolate Cake and Elena Signorini from Guiseley with her mouth-wateringly authentic Tiramisu.
Everyone had fun making their creations as well as sampling each other’s efforts. Together we raised £800 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Who would’ve thought fundraising could be so sweet?
Movember
Supporting men’s health and raising awareness of some of the leading causes of premature death, Stiltz took part in the high-profile Movember campaign during November in all three UK offices and in our US head office. The month-long challenge encouraged men to grow a moustache, and even our directors took part … sort of.
For those unable to Grow a Mo, the 60 for 60 challenge encouraged participants to walk, run or cycle at least 60km during November. Stiltz donated £10 / $10 on behalf of all those who reached the goal which was totalled up alongside employees’ own fundraising.
With everyone’s combined efforts, we raised a total of $355 and £515 between the US and UK teams. To find out who won which challenges and learn about the fun we had while fundraising, read here.
Looking forward to 2024
Projects are currently underway to get some impetus behind our fundraising efforts. Members of the Management Academy have been working with the Marcoms department to create an internal brand and a structure for our programme of ‘giving back’. During 2024 we hope to double down on the fantastic endeavours which took place during 2023 and raise even more much-needed funds for worthwhile causes.