Charity receives exceptional boost from CEO’s personal challenge
December 05, 2016
Seasoned cyclist, Robert Behan, Chief Executive of resource recovery company, Olleco, (left) presents the magnificent sum of £168,494.31 to Jon Haward, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities, the independent charity which provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children in hospital.
In September Robert and his team of seven friends took on the Haute Route Dolomites Swiss Alps from Geneva to Venice, covering 900 kilometres and heights of 21,000 metres over seven days. Following a personal tragedy, Robert wanted ‘to give something back for a worthwhile cause’. He managed to beat his fundraising target by a considerable margin in support of the charity.
Credit. Gareth Etherington
Caption 2
Jon Haward, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities (left) presents Robert Behan, CEO of resource recovery company, Olleco, with a memento of his outstanding cycle challenge across the Dolomites Swiss Alps which raised the magnificent sum of £168,494.31 for the charity.
The memento consisted of a framed picture from Robert’s ride and a handwritten note from everyone at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, which provides ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children in hospital.
Credit: Gareth Etheringon
The magnificent sum of £168,494.31 was presented to Jon Haward, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities by Robert Behan, CEO of resource recoverycompany, Olleco, last week (Tuesday 29 November 2016).
The funds are to be shared between Ronald McDonald House Charities UK and Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland—the independent Charities which provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children in hospital.
Robert and seven friends took on one of the hardest amateur cycling events in the world in September, covering over seven consecutive days the 900 kilometre Haute Route Dolomites Swiss Alps from Geneva to Venice with heights of 21,000 meters.
The endurance challenge was borne out of personal tragedy after Robert lost his dearly beloved wife earlier this year. Already a seasoned competitive cyclist over the past four years, he found solace through the encouragement and support of his team mates, as together they faced the toughness of their task with inspiring camaraderie.
Olleco—the renewable division of the ABP Food Group—matched the first £50,000 raised on a pound-for-pound basis.
To find out more about Ronald McDonald House Charities and how to support the Charity directly, visit: www.rmhc.org.uk
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Patricia Orr, Third Sector PR T. 020 7922 7722. M. 07889 140139. Email: pat@thirdsectorpr.co.uk;
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. Ronald McDonald House Charities is an independent charity that provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation at hospitals across the UK. The Charity enables seriously ill children to have their families close by when they are undergoing treatment and allows them to maintain a degree of normal family life.
2. There are 14 Ronald McDonald Houses in the UK and in 2015, they helped support over 7,000 families with children in hospital.
3. Ronald McDonald House Charities relies on the generosity of supporters and fundraisers, including McDonald’s customers, without whom it would be unable to continue its work.
4. The Charity was founded in 1989 and has been keeping families together for more than
25 years.
5. Olleco is the UK’s leading supplier of premium cooking oils and fats, and collector of used cooking oil and waste food, serving over 50,000 catering establishments. The waste oil collected is converted into biodiesel and the waste food collected is converted into biomethane, electricity and heat. Olleco employs over 550 people, and has 23 depots strategically located across the country, three bio-refineries, a biodiesel plant and two anaerobic digestion facilities. www.olleco.co.uk
Help us provide free home away from home accommodation to support families with children in hospital with a donation.