Emmaus UK raised more than £8,700 at their first abseil fundraising event on Friday 7 September, smashing the original target of £4,000. 33 brave people made the 220ft descent from the top of the Holiday Inn Express Snow Hill in the very capable hands of Red Point Climbing Centre, Birmingham. The money raised will be used to increase accommodation capacity and the support available to homeless people at Emmaus communities across the UK.
Fundraisers from across Birmingham joined Emmaus residents and staff from Coventry, Mossley (Greater Manchester), Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire and Cambridge. Emmaus supporter and winner of SAS Who Dares Wins (2016), Moses Adeyemi also completed the abseil and motivated the other participants, many of whom were abseiling for the first time.
On the day, a special medal was awarded to April Brunt, the top fundraiser, who raised more than £1,000 for Emmaus.
April said: ‘It’s been a brilliant morning. I’ve exceeded my fundraising target, won a prize and raised money for Emmaus UK– a great charity. The experience was amazing. The sun was shining so I had a great view of Birmingham, while thinking how my experience was helping to make a difference to the lives of others. I hope this will be the first of many more fundraising challenges in the future. Thanks for the opportunity Emmaus UK.’
The event was kindly supported by staff from the Holiday Inn Express Snow Hill, who assisted with the logistics, refreshments and a breakout area for participants and Domino’s Pizza, Constitution Hill branch donated free pizzas for the hungry abseilers.
Lulu Donna Nulty, Sales Manager at Holiday Inn Express Snow Hill Birmingham, said: “Over the last 12 months we have supported local and national charities, helping to raise nearly £50,000. Emmaus UK is a charity close to my heart which helps vulnerable and homeless people in their communities. I look forward to supporting the charity further in the future and creating an awareness of the support the charity provides.”
Sallie Winterbottom, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Emmaus UK said: ‘I’d like to say a huge thank you to all who signed up and helped raise more than £8,700 for Emmaus UK. They all showed such bravery; it was heart-warming to see the abseilers support each other whilst pushing their own personal limits with the long term goal of helping people experiencing homelessness.
“The money raised will make an enormous difference, enabling communities to increase their accommodation capacity, meaning more people have a place to call home. This event could not have happened without collaboration from our partners, the Holiday Inn Express Snow Hill, Red Point Climbing Centre Birmingham and Domino’s Pizza, Constitution Hill. Their support has been invaluable."
