Cycling the Alps for Special Effect

Well, he’s finally made it. Key Account Director and keen living-room cyclist Mark Sprintall is putting his dodgy knees on the line by taking the Raid Alpine challenge.

No need for Lycra for our Sprints. Just loosen off the collar, pat the dog, and we're off...

For the next seven days, he’ll be cycling all the hilly bits of the Tour de France – setting off from Lake Geneva  and cycling over 700kms to the med. He’ll be wobbling his way up and down 31 peaks, cycling over 100km a day – and is aiming to raise over a grand for Special Effect – one of Webmart Charitable Trust’s supported charities.

We did try and persuade him that a real man would do it on a Rally Chopper – but have to concede, if he pulls this off and makes it all the way to Antibes, he’s gonna be a real star. Good on you mate.

To sponsor Mark’s sterling work and find out more about the trip, please visit his sponsor page at http://www.justgiving.com/Mark-Sprintall. Every pound will be put to very good use.

Printweek Power Poll’s Innovation Insights…

While we’re generally a bit cynical about the worth of Top 10s and Top 100s here at Webmart, Printweek’s Power 100 did make a few quality observations. Simon skipped along one step from last year’s No.61, but that’s neither here nor there. What’s important is that people are recognising how we’re always searching for new ways to help out or clients and suppliers and that we do this through innovation – in technology and business processes. There’s nothing more important than serving our customers (except perhaps our ability to help others through our Charitable trust). So the messages seem to be getting through – hurrah!

Click to be WOWED and AMAZED by Webmart’s entry into the Top 100!

To have a friendly Webmarteer show you how our tech might be able to help you (in procurement, project management, retail) give us a shout

Thanks to everyone – it was emotional.

Webmart really went the extra mile in every conceivable way. In our ‘Go the Extra Mile’ 24hr charity event, we had a great time, displayed a fantastic team spirit – and smashed our expectations out of the field.

Before the event, we were worrying we’d not even make it to Glasgow. Afterwards, we were amazed that we’d made it to Barcelona! And we’ve raised a running total of £1477 – with Webmarteer John promising to add an extra £200 out of his own pocket. Great going guys! And we weren’t the only ones who were amazed at our performance. We just received the following letter from Dr. Mick at SpecialEffect, which we thought we’d share with all our sponsors and volunteers – as it’s really a thank you to you all, whoever you are and however you contributed.

Dear Geraldine,

WOW!!!!

I just wanted to say a huge heartfelt thank you and your amazing colleagues at all of the Webmart offices – north, south, and far north.

To say that you’ve given over and above the call of duty is an understatement.  Since I phoned this first thing morning and heard that you’d gone on and on and on through the night and some of you had done so with hardly any sleep and then when I rang at lunchtime and found that you done over a *1000 miles between you,  I really couldn’t believe it.  In fact, I honestly can’t even think about it without choking up.  I feel genuinely humbled and privileged that our charity was chosen to be been helped in this truly challenging and demanding way.

You are a remarkable group of people.  Not only will the funds that you’ve raised be of immense benefit to the severely disabled people our small team does our best to support but, equally importantly to us, the morale boost that having such a wonderful bunch of people prepared to give up their time AND energies in this way gives us is immense.

Please pass this on to all of your terrific colleagues – again, many, many thanks for a truly remarkable achievement on our behalf and, just imagine – if you could have got Spiderman to do a bit less posing and a bit more running, goodness knows how many miles you’d have covered…

Mick and the SpecialEffect Team

Dr Mick Donegan

Director, SpecialEffect

Bicester to East Kilbride and all the way to…

Well, we made it to East Kilbride. We then made it back again to Barnsley… and then carried on through the morning. Webmarteers up and down the country were beating each other’s totals and peddalling, running and rowing at breakneck speeds, knowing the end was in sight. And so, by 12 noon we’d put in enough virtual miles to make it past Bicester and nearly all the way to… PARIS! Yep, we clocked up 1020 miles by the end – enough to get from Bicester to Barcelona. That’s 1642 kilometers. 5385600 feet.  81600 chains and 8160 furlongs (isn’t the internet a wonderful thing). And, second most importantly, that equates to around 57000 calories which we can all enjoy piling back on this bank holiday weekend. Win – win!

Spidey makes an appearance!

Opening Ceremony

Team Bicester, ready for Action

But of course, the most important thing is that we raise cash for special effect. The current total is running at £1100 which is marvellous – and thanks to all our sponsors. Obviously, we’d like still more so if you haven’t sponsored or donated yet, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/webmart and give whatever you can afford.

Final amount update to follow once all the money has been accounted for…

Barnsley and Scotland checking in…

First a picture of Rich W’s initial stint on the bike in Barnsley (display is in Kms) then Webmarteers Alan and Norman from our East Kilbride office.  Particularly well done to Norman who managed to complete his run with a tiny man dangling from the end of his nose. Marvellous effort guys!

Norman & friend.

Alan & Norman get going.

Rich’s first ride.

More photos in…

Some more of the gang in action – from Bicester – and from Webmarteer John in Norfolk!

Booner in for his first jog

G and Jake setting off.

John Finished And Hot

Extra Mile is Go Go Go…

We’re looking forward to some great photo moments over the next 24hrs. So here’s the first – taken on the stroke of noon in Barnsley. Here we see Webmarteers Rich & Daz from the Barnsley office doing their bit and sporting strikingly-fashionable yellow headbands. A combined total of 45 miles in the first 2 hours got the Barnsley tally off to a great start. News and photos from the other offices coming soon.

Daz & Rich doing the business...

Again, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/webmart to sponsor us – all proceeds going to charity  special effect (www.specialeffect.org.uk).

Extra Mile Update – Olympians supporting a herculean effort

We’re really gearing up for our 24hr Extra Mile event on Thurs/Friday.  The pies have been put away. The talk’s moved on from chatter about all the training we haven’t done (but really should have) to which time slots we’re committing to and which equipment we’ll use. And we’re exceedingly pleased to announce that the event will be opened by a couple of real-life Olympians – Paul Mattick and Alice Freeman.  Both Paul and Alice were part of our successful Beijing Olympic Rowing Team and are coming along to open the event, give us some much needed tips and make us feel distinctly inadequate.

Paul Mattick

Alice Freeman

So if you can scrape together a few shekels, the children who are supported by our target charity, www.specialeffect.org.uk, will be most appreciative – as indeed will we. Please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/webmart to sponsor or donate.

For the avoidance of doubt, the cost of plasters, splints, long-term physiotherapy and trauma counselling will be covered by the respective individual, not from the proceeds.

More good news from the Webmart Charitable Trust

An update from Webmarteer G on the progress of the Webmart Charitable Trust. Taken verbatim from her latest update email. As a print management company that works hard at being the best for our clients and suppliers – it’s truly heart-warming to see we can do well for the less fortunate too.

Morning all

Had a great email from Carol who runs one of the charities we support – Building a Future for Peruvian Children (some of you may remember Carol when she came to visit us last year). We donated £7,500 to the charity last year which has enabled them to continue to support the 500 children we helped to get into school year before last and an ADDITIONAL 203 children last year.  WHICH IS JUST BRILLIANT!!!

This picture is of the children from Marcopampa who had just been given their school rucksacks, dictionaries etc.  This school is in a more remote, higher, northern part of the district where the charity operates and in an area where people tend to be even poorer on average than the children we have already helped. Full report on the notice board in the postroom if you want to have a read.

Doesn't it just give you a nice warm glow!!!

WELL DONE EVERYONE – WE REALLY ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE.   DURING THE PAST  YEAR WE HAVE HELPED/CONTINUED TO HELP …………

703 KIDS IN PERU ;

25 YOUNG ADULTS IN ETHIOPIA;

LOTS OF KIDS BEING RESCUED FROM THE STREETS IN KENYA, GIVEN SAFE ACCOMMODATION AND BEING TAUGHT SKILLS TO HELP THEM SURVIVE;

HAVE PROVIDED A COMPUTER SYSTEM TO GIVE SOMEONE ( AND EVENTUALLY OTHERS) BACK THEIR INDEPENDENCE THROUGH SPECIAL EFFECT’S FANTASTIC EYE TECHNOLOGY AND

SPONSORED STAFF AND FRIENDS OF WEBMART WHO WERE RUNNING/CLIMBING/etc TO RAISE MONEY FOR THEIR PREFERRED CHARITIES.

WELL DONE TEAM!!!

Barnsley office news. Anyone seen our phone number??

Well our Barnsley move has finally happened! We’ve moved into sparkly new Webmart offices 2 miles up the road in Barugh Green. As you can see from the pics, we’ve painted everything that’s paintable yellow (everything that won’t result in legal action from our neighbours that is!) and we’re now settled in.

Yellow, yellow…

…and more yellow

And so, we’re ready for the next phase in our goal to bring expert print services to everyone in the North of England. More space = more people = even better service. Hurrah!

The only problem is that someone at BT appears to have fumbled our main barnsley phone number on the way! So while we scuffle in the streets at Martlesham to try and get it back, we’ve got a temporary number where you can get through to all the smiley people at Webmart Barnsley: 01226 323910 (catchy eh?). Our old faithful 01226 720720 number will be back soon hopefully.