Lateral Group staff are doing their bit for good causes around the UK.
Seven Lateral Group staffers have been ‘facing up’ to the Movember challenge, demonstrating a degree of masculinity and in the process raising £440 for prostate cancer research. Our ‘tache- team included Jason Cromack, Ruaraidh Thomas, Nick Barbeary, Daniel Cross, Stuart Hamilton, Chris Pannel and Dritani Myftiu.
It’s just one of the community events Lateral Group employees have put themselves up for this year.
CEO Jason Cromack and a team-mate spent Easter completing the Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon, raising over £2,300 for the Children’s Hospice South West. And a few months earlier, Dialogue Solutions MD Jeremy Walters led six Lateral Group employees through the ‘Tough Guy’ challenge raising around £2,600 for the Fund for Heroes.
Team Jason’s 125 mile canoe marathon includes 77 porterages, which made their choice of a 40 kilo sea kayak a head-turner.
“We chose stability over speed,” says Jason. “Given most kayaks were only 18 kilos, we looked complete nutters. People were taking bets on when we’d pull out.”
Despite beautiful weather, competitors got no help from one of the lowest river flows in recent years and a building headwind. “After so many miles paddling the day before, it was demoralising to hit the Thames again each day with no flow,” Jason recalls. “We felt we were going backwards. However, thanks to our support crew and a drip-feed of jelly babies and Jaffa cakes fed to us as we jogged around the locks, we made it.”
Jeremy Walters’ team competed in what is described as ‘the world’s most demanding one-day survival race’.
“You have to sign a ‘death warrant’ waiver before you start,” recalls Bid Consultant James Reilly. “Typically, a third of the 6,000 starters fail to finish – there have even been two fatalities in previous years.
“It started with a six mile cross country run with all sorts of hills and water obstacles. Temperatures were well below zero so the front runners quite literally had to break the ice. That section finished with a slalom sprint up a series of hills, which separated the group.
“Next was the obstacle course which included totally flooded tunnels, miles of freezing water to wade through, walls to clamber over, bridges with barbs that electrocuted you and cargo nets which you had to climb and then dive off into the water.”
James turned in Team Lateral’s best time of 2hrs 30m with the rest – Jeremy, Mike Cox, Mitch Cornelia, Daniel Cross, Nikolay Ferdinandov and Vinny Gidley – all finishing within 4hrs, which was quite an achievement.
Would he do it again? “Yes!”
