We were thrilled when Tiger Eye Consulting contacted us earlier this year to let us know they had decided to raise money for our charity by completing a ‘Tiger Trek’.
This 46 mile coastal walk took place from the 17th to 19th May and saw the determined team – Karen, Richard, Kev and David – walk from Hunstanton to Cromer, finishing at the historic Cromer Pier to raise a brilliant £500. They were joined on their Trek by colleagues Hanna and Aaron on Day 1, and Peter and Dave on Day 2.
We caught up with the team (once they enjoyed a well-deserved rest!) to hear all about their fantastic fundraising challenge.
How did the idea for the Tiger Trek come about?
“Last year, a few members of the Tiger Eye team supported Martyn Wells, IT Director at Wright Hassall, on his charity walk across Wales. He is one of our customers, who had cancer and was raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. A few of our team here are keen walkers and have walked various pathways across the UK and further afield, so the idea came naturally to them. The concept of ‘netwalking’ wasn’t a big trend at that time (when the idea of Tiger Trek was first conceptualised back in October of last year) but we felt that taking networking outside, into our beautiful countryside, was a great idea.
Once we heard the term ‘netwalk’ and realised that networking, combined with exercising, was becoming quite popular, we came up with Tiger Trek. We encourage walking meetings and physical exercise here as part of our PAWS for Health wellbeing scheme, so we loved the idea of getting outside and encouraging other businesses to exercise their bodies, to in turn exercise their minds. We always play with puns around Tigers, because of our company’s name, so Tiger Trek didn’t take too long to come to mind.”
Why did you decide to support The Benjamin Foundation?
“We then chose a range of charities – some local, some international – and decided which felt closest to our hearts. The Benjamin Foundation was unanimously voted for as the one we were going to support with the Trek. Working in our community, battling homelessness, youth disadvantage and more, we felt your charity was vital for Norfolk and Suffolk and we all felt that knowing we were raising money for your fantastic cause would encourage the team to keep on going throughout the Trek. A video really helped us to understand the work of your charity.”
What was the toughest bit of the trek?
“The shingle was pretty tough!”
What was the most enjoyable part of the trek?
“The most enjoyable part was seeing the awareness we raised for your wonderful charity. We have supported your charity for a while, and we hope to continue to do so through volunteering at The Assembly House for your Flight for Youth campaign later this summer.”
How did you feel when you finished?
The team were elated once we had finished – although, at that time, I think we were too tired to feel anything (especially our toes!) It was wonderful that even days after we had finished, the donations kept rolling in to the Virgin Money Giving page from our supporters, and the feeling of pride kept growing with every donation that came in!”
Thank you so much to the Tiger Trek team!
But the fundraising doesn’t stop there. To be in with a chance of winning a £50 voucher with Dynamic Fitness, just donate £5 or more to the Tiger Trek fund at Tiger Eye’s Virgin Money Giving fundraising page. One lucky donor will be chosen at random to win the Tiger Trek prize. For any queries regarding the Dynamic Fitness competition, please contact Georgina, Marketing Assistant at [email protected]