One of the many benefits of working for FGH is that we will sponsor members of staff who compete in competitive sports and events. This ranges from sponsoring individual staff members through to full teams and can take the form of new kit through to entry fees. We feel that it is important to encourage personal development and promote fitness amongst our employees. Here is a quick snap shot of what our sponsored athletes have been up to over the past few months and a look towards what they have coming up in the near future.
Dave Hassall is one of the FGH Senior Management Team and in his spare time he is a competitive bodybuilder. He has competed in six contests over the past seven years he has been competing and recently finished 2nd in his category at the Northwest Championships, narrowly missing qualifying for the British Championships, and now has his sights set on competing in the Cumbrian Classic on the 13th June. “The company as a whole have been very supportive for each contest that I have had to get ready for and this year has been no exception,” explained Dave. “Most people find it hard to understand the consistency and discipline you have to have to be at your best. The actual contest themselves are the culmination of twelve to fourteen weeks of hard dieting, getting up at 5:30 most mornings to train, doing a full day in the office and then usually training again in the evenings most days. This year I have been dieting since January so by the time I get to the Cumbria Classic I will have been on a fairly restrictive diet for over twenty weeks so it’s safe to say that I don’t get offered cake or biscuits in the office anymore. I really appreciate the support I get from the company which has ranged from customised tracksuits through to the team coming to support me at contests and even Peter (the company Managing Director) coming out for runs with me and pushing me on. I’d really encourage any staff member with a sporting passion or hobby to get in touch with the Head Office and let them know what you are up to.”
You might remember that Chris Peil competed at the Kettlebell World Championships earlier on in the year (read about it here) and was honored with a trip to Downing Street too. Currently Chris is nursing a rib injury however that didn’t stop him breaking a UK record recently. He is currently in intensive training to qualify for the World Championship again and represent England.
Tom Smith competes at a national level in both shot and discuss and we interviewed him as part of our Staff in Focus feature which you can read by following this link. Tom is about to start his competitive season for the year and has had to deal with both a torn ankle ligament and sprained mcl in his offseason. Tom said, “My distances are slowly creeping up just due being able to get outside and throw more often. I’m a lot stronger than I was last time we spoke and this is showing with the distances being thrown.” His next competition is the Lancashire County Championships (23rd and 24th May) where, in his own words, “I’ll be looking to smash my own county record of 14.28m in the shot put and have a go at the discus county record too.” Following that he will then take part in the North of England Senior Outdoor Championships (13th and 14th June) which will take place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester where he will be looking to take home a medal. “I would like to thank FGH for giving me the time off to compete in these events,” said Tom.
Marco Altibrandi has been with FGH as a core part of our events division since 2013. Marco has been a Royal Marines Reserve since 2010 and is looking to raise money for the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund by running The Hardmoors 160 on the 22nd May. The race is a single stage 160 mile Ultramarathon linking up the 48 mile Tabular Hills Route with the Cleveland Way. Competitors will leave the coast at the clifftops of Scalby Mills, Scarborough to return again many miles later but first heading westwards and inland to Helmsley. On arriving at Helmsley competitors will follow the 110 mile Hardmoors 110 route to Filey. Competitors will have 50 hours to complete the 160 mile course which has an assent of nearly 23,000 feet. Marco has already completed the Hardmoor 110 (a 110 mile ultra-marathon completed over 2 days) but this will be his hardest challenge to date. If you’d like to donate you can visit Marco’s JustGive page here.
Amy Stanley is an FGH Operations Supervisor and currently plays hooker for Waterloo Ladies Rugby Union Team and has played for both Lancashire and North of England). She is also an Explorer Leader and teaches outdoor skills to 14 to 18 year olds. “FGH are great at supporting me and giving me the flexibility to be able to play rugby at a high level,” said Amy. She is about to start her preseason training at the end of this month for another successful season.
Andy Leigh is a Door Supervisor at the Albert Hall and is also a very successful amateur strongman he has a number of regional and competitions coming up over the summer which we will aim to cover in more detail over the next few months.
Lancaster University RUFC, or the Cats as they are informally known, have had a very eventful season. The development of a 4th team has been a focal point of the year allowing the club to grow and more people to be involved in rugby at the University. In addition to this, the 2nd and 3rd teams had strong seasons with some big victories at home meaning both teams have secured their league places and will continue to play at the same standard next season. The 2nd team also competed in the FGH Cup against Salford University RUFC 1st team which was a fierce game of rugby in what can only be described as a mud bath. The game was live streamed online and was quite a spectacle; unfortunately the Salford pack managed to lead their team to victory but Lancaster will be gunning for their revenge next season. To turn to the 1st team, despite also some strong performances at home they will be playing one step below next season after relegation. They are however expected to come out fighting and win their league next season, gaining instant promotion. The Cats finished off their season competing in what is regarded as the biggest varsity in Europe against York University in the Battle of the Roses. A lot of time and effort was invested by all three squads competing, a three week long bootcamp was completed in the run up to their respective matches. It was always going to be tough for the boys playing away in front of a York crowd and despite not coming away with a win, all three teams played their hearts out in what was an excellent display of rugby with the 1st team match being locally televised.
