Employees Arctic bound to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society

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One Stop employees Arctic bound to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society.

Seven intrepid One Stop colleagues are Arctic bound this weekend, having raised over £11,000 for The Alzheimer’s Society, quadrupling their original target of £2,500.

Led by Sheffield Handsworth store manager, Marc Detrich, who has led multiple charitable expeditions for One Stop, the group will set off on Sunday for the Arctic, trekking north of the Arctic Circle and a remote village where they will spend their first night sleeping in igloos on a frozen lake!

The expedition will include snowshoeing in the mountains and an extensive seven-hour husky challenge, where they will be totally in charge of driving the sleighs themselves. Each individual will be responsible for the welfare of the dogs and guiding them up to 50km across the snow-covered wilderness.

Marc has had the full support of One Stop from the outset, using money from the company’s new ‘Community Chest’ initiative to get the fundraising ball rolling. “The idea is that you start with a small investment from the One Stop Community Chest funding and aim to double it with your fundraising activities.

“It was clear that within a month our original target of £2,500 was going to be surpassed so we just kept adding to it. One Stop have been very supportive, providing lots of different items for us to sell, plus funded elements of the trip.”

The Arctic Circle team is made up from a real cross section of One Stop’s 10,600 employees – who will come together over the four days to support one another and unify as a single group. The team includes two area managers, Steve Rouse, 45 and Leon Rainer, 44, two stores managers – Marc Detrich, 37 and Sharon Blackburn, 49 – and three colleagues from the shop floor; Emma Chambers, 37, Nathan Furness, 21 and Jade Littlewood, 22. The expedition will perhaps be even more challenging for Jade, as she has never been on a plane or even outside of the UK. However, the team will all be there to support one another and enjoying this once in a lifetime trip together.

The Alzheimer’s Society was chosen as the benefitting cause as this is One Stop’s elected charity. Marc said: “As a group of One Stop store managers we voted unanimously to support The Alzheimer’s Society, so it seemed like the most fitting cause for us to raise money for during this expedition. Each one of the team – or someone they know – has been affected in some way by Alzheimer’s and it also resonates with our customers who have been very supportive of the trip and dug deep to help us raise money.”

The team have fundraised in a variety of ways for the challenge including bake sales, collection tins on the till, running fun days in the summer and are each paying personally for many of the elements of the trip.

In order to raise maximum funds for the challenge, Marc chose not to engage with a professional expedition company, which specializes in creating challenges for charity fundraising but planned the whole trip on his own. Marc went directly to the husky farm, to the accommodation providers and to all the individuals himself, which means all the money raised will go directly to The Alzheimer’s Society and the people who need it the most.

Jack Taylor, Community Advisor from One Stop comments: “Marc has been a real inspiration and galvanized both the Arctic Challenge team to undertake the expedition, as well as having engaged with the whole of One Stop, who are right behind them and proud of how hard they’ve worked to raise funds for such a deserving cause.

“As a company dedicated to serving the needs of communities across our 950 stores in the UK, we’re at the frontline seeing how we can help people to live well with dementia. So far we have raised over £100,000 for the charity and also launched the ‘dementia friends’ initiative. To date over 7000 colleagues have completed the sessions. This helps them to recognise someone with dementia and guide them through the process of buying, whether that’s helping them choose what they need or at the till when paying.

“We wish the team the very best of luck as they set off for the Arctic and can’t wait to hear how they get on.”

The Arctic Circle challenge will see the team pushed way beyond their comfort zones whilst undertaking some breathtaking experiences that few have the opportunity to try. It won’t be without its challenges though as Marc explains: “The weather will be the most challenging element as it’s something you can try and prepare for but can’t control. The weather can suddenly shift from minus one to minus 40, where hyperthermia and frost bite can present real problems.

“We’ll need to look after one another and work as a team but we’re ready and looking forward to the challenge and the exciting opportunity ahead of us. We’re incredibly grateful for the support from One Stop, our colleagues around the UK and our customers who have helped us raise such a significant amount for charity.”

If people wish to donate they can do so by via Just Giving: www.justgiving.com/onestoparcticchallenge