Family-owned contractor Seddon and its supply chain have come together to celebrate its 125th year in business by fundraising over £1m to cancer charity, The Christie, as well as raising funds for local food banks, through a series of inspiring pledges.
A total of 14,220 miles — equivalent to a staggering 36m steps — were ran, cycled, swam, sky-dived and beyond across a momentous year that saw employees reconnecting with one another after a challenging few years. Together, the team’s fundraising feats represented one million ways to say thank you to a charity close to the hearts of so many.
The Seddon family has a deep personal connection with The Christie, as two family members have received treatment at the specialist cancer hospital. The late Christopher Seddon (MBE) was treated at The Christie for lung cancer and just a few years later, his daughter, Nicola Hodkinson, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Nicola was treated by The Christie before being declared cancer-free seven months later.
Marie Toller, Head of Major Relationships at The Christie charity, said: “Seddon’s incredibly generous fundraising efforts mean a huge amount to The Christie, so reaching £1m in donations is outstanding. We really appreciate all the charity’s support over the last 25 years.
“The money directly improves services and helps us to support patients, their families and loved ones during difficult times. It has also significantly contributed to the construction cost of our new centre in Macclesfield, making treatments even more accessible for our patients in the surrounding area for many years to come.”
The distances covered by staff through a raft of events amount to travelling around the UK’s coastline three times. 1,700 staff members, along with supply chain partners and customers took part in fundraising events during a landmark year for the contractor.
A total of 103 staff members completed the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge across the region’s three biggest mountains, Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough in under 12 hours, with participants racking up a combined 2,678 miles. Seddon staff also took part in 850 park runs, 65 bike rides and 24 football matches with 250 food parcels and easter eggs were donated to local charities and food banks.
In addition, managing director Peter Jackson completed a mammoth 125km canal walk between Birmingham in Manchester during the sweltering summer heat, whilst Seddon Homes donated £250 for every new home sold between September 2020 to December 2022.
From Seddon Group CEO Jonathan Seddon running the London and Manchester Marathons dressed as Seddon mascot, Seddy Teddy, through to an employee sky-dive, efforts have come from all areas of the business. Each event was selected to amplify the sense of community that powers Seddon and all the work it does.
“This is our culture, this is who we are,” said Owner and Director at Seddon, Nicola Hodkinson. “We’re a sociable organisation, so to come together to reconnect with each other after a difficult few years has been nothing short of inspirational. Together, we’ve walked across hot coals, jumped out of planes and climbed mountains. Every individual effort means so much to Seddon and shows one million ways to say thank you to The Christie for the life-changing work it does and to our local communities too.”
Nicola continued: “Few contractors have the heritage that we do; 125 years of business is something to be immensely proud of. As a family-run business that knows all too well of the impact cancer can have on our lives, we are proud to support them in every way that we can.”
As well as the financial amount raised for The Christie, employees were encouraged to support charities close to their hearts. Other pledges included donations of gardening equipment to Rowley Hall Primary School, time and resources were donated to complete a garden refurb at the Gateway in Coventry and the donation of 125 tickets to the 2022 Commonwealth Games to employees, customers, and supply chain partners.
