I&G community round up

West Yorkshire-based construction company Illingworth & Gregory (I&G), has pledged to raise £50,000 in support of its local hospice, The Kirkwood, during its half-century celebrations in 2022.

The company, founded in 1972, works across the north of England and has just recorded its most successful year of trading following new contract wins across health, education and commercial projects. 2021 also saw a recruitment drive following their move into new £1m custom-designed offices, meaning I&G stepped into its 50th year on a strong footing. To mark this major milestone, I&G staff voted for a cause close to their hearts, choosing The Kirkwood as its fundraising focus.

Kirkwood Hospice opened its doors in March 1987 to care for local people living with life-limiting illnesses and provide support for their families and friends, free of charge.

The Kirkwood is not just a building, an In-Patient Unit or a place of care today. They are a movement of people. They’re clinical and medical professionals, patients, carers, and families. Employees, supporters and volunteers. They may look a little different, but their mission remains the same today, as it did at the very beginning; to provide the best care for anyone affected by any life-limiting illness, every step of the way.

Various sites and locations from across Yorkshire have taken part in the I&G Coffee morning to raise funds for The Kirkwood and start meaningful conversations about the amazing work done for the local hospice based in Huddersfield.

The coffee sites spanned over 60 miles, from I&G’s HQ in Elland to sites at Leeds General Infirmary, Barnsley and Rotherham General Hospital – raising over £1,408.37, and generating meaningful conversations

The significant amount raised is testament to all the site managers, clients, and subcontractors involved. With other events planned for the latter part of the year, it’s clear to see we’re all looking forward to continuing our efforts and getting stuck in!

We’ve rappelled from April and jumped into May! We’ve kickstarted our 50/50 year from traversing down buildings, jumping off planes and sprinting through 10k events. Find out more below about how we’ve fared!

Our local Joggernaught, Paul Russell proudly took part in running the 10k race for life Bradford, in memory of his dad, to raise awareness and funds for the hospice for all the support and care they provide.

Paul Russell, Operational Manager from I&G  said:

“The Kirkwood is a local hospice that provides end-of-life care to help ease the suffering caused. It has excellent staff dedicated to easing the pain for the patients and families of this disease.”

“My Dad, Mum, brother Andy and I are unfortunate to have suffered this awful experience, but we are thankful for the compassion and kindness showed by the staff at the Hospice we were with. As a result, we would like to give something back to show our appreciation of all the good work and devoted service that all Hospices and their staff provide.”

Well done Paul!

After descending down from the skies, we’ve hit the ground running with these events – 11 warriors from across the Sewell Group,  tackled a 12k Total Warrior course, 25 punishing obstacles, mud, mud, and more mud!

Mario Charbonneau, Site Foreman at I&G was one of the 11 warriors who took on the challenge and said:

“It was a great event to get involved! It was a great experience and reason to train, whilst having a friendly and fun competition ”

And if that wasn’t enough for the weekend,  our management trainee, Shirley Zhong, decided to finish the weekend off with a 5K Wheelbarrow run for Race for Life, Huddersfield.

See what Shirley has to say about the weekend of events:

“Life is full of obstacles, so I thought why not make a weekend of it! And what a crazy weekend it’s been. Total Warrior was brilliant, and it was great to work alongside those from different business units, all whilst giving back to the community we work in. All it took was mud, sweat and tears!

“I’ve been really invested in getting involved with the events this year, and supporting all the work The Kirkwood does,  a charity close to my heart.”

We want to give a special thanks to all those who sponsored and supported us this year to give back to our community. From donations of time, skills, donations and gifts in kind – together,  we are taking proactive steps to support our local community and all the hard work at The Kirkwood.