Managing director Darren Cooper (left) with Bruce Elkins

Staff at The Peter Cooper Volkswagen Group are helping press the accelerator on a charity fundraising drive inspired by the Olympics.

Group managing director Darren Cooper is leading his team in a bid to help the 123 Decathlon Challenge reach a target of £100,000 which will be shared between local charities the Rainbow Centre, the Rose Road Association and Wessex Cancer Trust.

Dreamt up by Hampshire businessmen Bruce Elkins and Peter Harding, the scheme has raised over £45,000 so far from events covering badminton, walking and cycling which the enthusiastic Peter Cooper staff have already got involved in.

Peter Cooper will be sponsoring the athletics event on September 9th and also entering other competitions throughout the year including the next one, a triathlon on July 1st, followed by running, road cycling, table tennis and swimming events.

Darren Cooper has committed to doing all 10 events for the Charities and joining him on some of the events are Director, Perry Lee and employees Chris Godfroy, James Bunce-Powley and John Ockelford to name just a few. Together they hope to add a significant contribution to the campaign through sponsorship.

The Rainbow Centre supports children with cerebral palsy and adults with a stroke, MS and Parkinson’s disease. The Rose Road Association has been providing high quality services for young people with disabilities for 60 years. Wessex Cancer Trust offers advice and funding for cancer units.

Darren Cooper said: “This is such a fantastic initiative, how could we not get involved? As a regional business we are determined to give something back and we are delighted it will help a trio of charities which are at the heart of the local community and who deserve all the help they can get.

“As well as raising much-needed cash by inspiring fundraisers through its high-profile Olympics theme, it might tempt a few people to get a bit fitter too!”

Bruce Elkins added: “We are delighted that Peter Cooper could sponsor the athletics and Darren’s team are taking part in some of the events. We would also invite other businesses to get involved and help us hit our target.

“I look forward to seeing lots of people ‘trying a tri’ on 1 July which is our next event and we are encouraging teams as well as individuals to join us.”

TENNIS ACES: From left in front are doubles’ finalists Ashley Savage, Jim London, Julie Hanson, Kim Lawford, Anna Spencer, Tim Clark and Keith Hanson, cheered on by more than 50 other participants in the charity fundraiser sponsored by regional commercial property agency Hughes Ellard.

A £100,000 fundraising campaign for three charities reaching out to thousands of people across the Solent region is nearly halfway to the total.

More than £45,000 has already been netted by the 123 Decathlon in Hampshire, comprising 10 sporting events to tie in with the 2012 London Olympics.

Details of the running total emerged at the latest event, the fourth in the action-packed series and sponsored by regional commercial property consultancy Hughes Ellard.

A marathon tennis tournament was held yesterday (Tuesday, May 1st) at the Virgin Active Hampshire Health & Racquets Club, West End, near Southampton, with generous donations being served up.

The beneficiaries of the final amount will be The Rainbow Centre, The Rose Road Association and Wessex Cancer Trust.

Bruce Elkins, an organiser of 123 Decathlon and a director at business and tax advisers CW Fellowes, with offices in Chandler’s Ford and Fareham, said: “The total funds raised to date are £45,000, giving the fund a flying start, and we’re not even through the midway point yet.

“We’ve been staggered by the amount of goodwill and pledges from the business community – they really want to smash through that £100,000 target.”

Russell Mogridge, a director at Hughes Ellard, which has offices in Southampton and Fareham, said: “Everyone is behind 123 Decathlon and we urge as many people as possible to support this great fundraiser and keep up the momentum.”

123 Decathlon stands for one decathlon (ten events), two ‘fellows’ – organisers Bruce Elkins and Peter Harding – and three charities.

Donations can be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/BruceAElkins

Winners of the women’s doubles were Julie Hanson and Kim Lawford, beating  Mary Doyle and Anna Spencer, while Tim Clark and Keith Hanson took the honours against Jim London and Ashley Savage. Nearly 60 people took part.

The remaining events, with sponsors, are:

Triathlon – Sunday, July 1st – Totton Health & Leisure Centre – property and investment company Questmap;

Athletics – Sunday, September 9th – Southampton Sports Centre – Peter Cooper Volkswagen Group;

Run – Sunday, September 9th – Southampton Sports Centre – independent financial advisers Radcliffe & Co;

Road cycle – Sunday 14th October 2012- New Forest – insurance claims solutions specialist Graham High Group;

Table tennis – Thursday, November 15th – Barton Peveril College, Eastleigh – motor dealership Snows Group;

Swim – Thursday, December 20th – Fareham Leisure Centre – IT service provider Taylor Made Computer Solutions.

Originally published in The Daily Echo on 16/04/2012

A MAJOR fundraising event held as part of an open day at Calshot Activities Centre is thought to have netted about £10,000.

More than 40 people took part in an endurance cycling event at the centre, with teams of three or four
riders hurtling around the velodrome for an hour at a time.

The event was part of the Daily Echo-backed 123 Decathlon Challenge, which aims to raise a total of £100,000 for the Rainbow Centre, the Rose Road Association and Wessex Cancer Trust.

The challenge has already netted at least £25,000 for the three charities.

Hundreds of people attended the open day at the activities centre, a former RAF flying boat base at the entrance to Southampton Water.

Many of the visitors tried their hand at rock climbing and other activities staged at the site.

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Originally published in the Daily Echo on Friday 30th March 2012.