12-JUN-07
A team of intrepid adventurers from Bolton will take on the elements to
compete in this year’s Microsoft UK Challenge to raise money for the NSPCC.
The six-strong team from Bolton at Home are in training for the event which
could include cross-country running, mountain biking, canoeing, code
breaking, puzzle solving or strategy. The competitors are kept in suspense
until the last minute, as the tasks they face remain top secret until the
course director fires the starting gun.
The Microsoft UK Challenge is Europe’s largest corporate team development
event and Bolton at Home’s team will compete against 125 top UK business
teams in the South Yorkshire countryside from 20 – 24 June 2007. This year
the event aims to raise half a million pounds for the NSPCC.
Bolton at Home’s Challenge Team is made up of employees from across the
organisation. They have raised £700 so far and are hoping to reach their
target of £1,000.
Edward Mellor, Financial Services Manager, is leading the team. He said: “We
have been in training for the past three months for this challenge and we’re
ready and raring to go!”
We’re most looking forward to working as a team to achieve the best position
we can but we’re most dreading the long stages which can last for as long as
six hours.
“We’re really pleased to be raising money for the NSPCC because we are so
impressed by the work they do for children and young people. This was
explained to us during a presentation by the NSPCC earlier on in the year.
“As a team we’ve undertaken a variety of training exercises including a
night exercise in Philips Park, Whitefield which drew the attention and
admiration of a patrolling police car”.
As the flagship event in the Intelligent Sport™ World Series, the Microsoft
UK Challenge will push the teams to the limit. Based on the unique
Intelligent Sport® formula the teams will be tested, not only on their
physical prowess but also on their mental ability.
NSPCC project manager Jane Ferguson said: “The Microsoft UK Challenge is a
great way of developing team skills which can be taken back into the
workplace. It is a great boost for morale, and a lot of satisfaction is
gained from raising money for the NSPCC.
“Microsoft is a long-standing supporter of the NSPCC – having raised in
excess of
£6million for the charity since 1995. All the money raised through this
event will help the NSPCC run projects for vulnerable children, young people
and families who need someone to turn to.”
As part of their ongoing commitment to helping individuals achieve their
full potential Microsoft has sponsored the Microsoft UK Challenge for seven
years, while their relationship with the NSPCC goes back twelve years.
Through their continued support of the charity Microsoft is supporting all
teams taking part this year to raise funds for the NSPCC ahead of the event,
through individual sponsorship and staff-fundraising activities.
For an added fundraising incentive, the company who raises the most money
for the NSPCC at the Microsoft UK Challenge will win the Microsoft Charity
Cup, and there is an extra trophy up for grabs for the team that puts in the
best fundraising effort.
