Tag: charity

To celebrate “World Bicycle Day” in style we are off to take on our Charity Bike Ride 2023!

The event is taking place tomorrow, 4^th June, in Cambridgeshire with eleven of our team members training hard and preparing for the 53/66/100-mile routes around Cambridgeshire. The routes have now been released by the organisers and the Lyra has been fitted, it’s true to say the sponsored jersey’s look fantastic!

So far, we have raised an UNBELIEVABLE £11,895.00 for the O’Brien Charitable Trust, but still need your help to achieve our target! If you are able to support our team, please donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/charitybikeride23obct

We wanted to say a huge, good luck to all our riders, the weather looks fantastic, and the event should be a brilliant challenge for all. Thanks to all our sponsors and to all those who have donated so far.

Best of luck team! Let’s get to £13K!

World Bicycle Day – 3^rd June 2023
The idea behind World Bicycle Day (WBD) is to recognize the versatility and uniqueness of the bicycle, as well as its reliability and sustainability as a mode of transportation. We support WBD due to its sustainability and green benefits and aiding both mental and physical health. We encourage our workforce to get on their bikes and cycle!

Not long now until 14 intrepid cyclists take on the Charity Bike Ride – “Tour of Cambridgeshire.” The team will be cycling up to 100-miles each for O’Brien Charitable Trust.

We would like to thank our corporate sponsors for their incredible support. Jersey Sponsorship has raised an impressive c.£8,000, as you can see they look fantastic!

These sponsors include:

• MJL Midlands
• Ridge & Partners
• Edge PS
• SGP Architects
• Burdens
• Weightmans
• MCI Electrical
• Nolan Associates
• Smiths Concrete
• CQS Solutions
• CMT Group
• Midland Quarry Products
• Titan Site Solutions
• Coventry Timber Products
• YardLink
• Emily Jayne Hair
• Keyline
• HD Ricketts
• MAP Civils
• Tracey Concrete
• Belgrade Insulations
• F P McCann
• Simson Aggregates
• Clancy Consulting
• FGD Aggregates & Waste Removal
• First Fence
• Midland Rock
• Clowes Developments

With the 4^th of June approaching fast this leaves only 6 weeks to go. If you would still like to support our fundraising event, please donate here or email info@obriencontractors.co.uk.

Today the O’Brien Charitable Trust Committee has presented the first donation from the monies raised in 2020, to the fantastic Freddie’s Wish Charity https://freddieswish.org/.

The Freddie’s Wish charity was set up by founder Charlotte Jolliffe whose son, 13 month old Freddie, was sadly taken in a tragic car accident in December 2014.

“Charlotte said: “Not long after I said my last goodbyes, I desperately wanted to seek help from other people that felt this intense emotional and physical pain I was feeling, but no one seemed to be willing to help me.”

Freddie’s Wish was set up with the aim to educate healthcare professionals and wider society in the importance of offering proactive support to bereaved parents to help them through the darkest of times.

Freddie’s wish formed a partnership with Child Bereavement UK https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ and also signpost bereaved relatives towards support that may be relevant to their specific circumstances or provide support to the family directly.

Freddie’s wish are also partnered with MDD First Aid http://www.mddfirstaid.co.uk/ to help fund first aid courses for parents/carers to give them the knowledge and skills to potentially save their child’s life.

“Sadly, Freddie ultimately lost his brave battle but the CPR administered by his Dad at the scene of the accident gave us all time to say our goodbye’s to him. This proves that doing something in an emergency first aid situation is always better than doing nothing!”

Charlotte said of the O’Brien Charitable Trust Donation:

“Thank you so much for offering a donation of £2,500 towards Freddie’s Wish, this is so incredibly generous and would make a huge difference to the charity.

In terms of how we would spend the £2.5k donation, we would wish to allocate it all towards the continued provision of free paediatric first aid sessions for anyone who looks after a child (parents, other relatives, friends, childminders etc.)

This contribution will help us to continue to provide free paediatric first aid awareness sessions throughout Warwickshire in conjunction with MDD First Aid .

So far, we have trained 650 people with essential paediatric first aid skills and the knowledge to be able to save their child’s life should they need to.

We are already fully booked until April with 2 courses running per month.

This funding could fully cover 7 paediatric first aid awareness courses at £360 per course, that would equate to approximately another 140 people being trained with vital skills for life.”

Everyone here at O’Brien would like to say a huge thank you to Southam Rugby Club for donating half of the proceeds from their “Party on the Pitch” event, taking place on Saturday 15^th July in Southam.

The donation will be going towards O’Brien Charity Trust, which supports the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance.

Kelly Davis at O’Brien Charitable Trust, said: “We are thrilled with the donation and we encourage everyone to attend “Party on the Pitch”. A huge thank you to Southam Rugby Club for their support.”

Party on the Pitch Information

Southam Rugby club will be hosting its 8th “Party on the Pitch” event on Saturday 15th July. It will continue to raise money for Simon Adams’ Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) charity fund and Warwickshire Air Ambulance, which is the chosen charity of club member, Pete O’Brien of O’Brien Contractors Ltd.

In 2009, at just 46 years of age, Simon Adams was diagnosed with MNDA and immediately set about working his way through his bucket list. While some of the items on his list were very personal his real goal was to raise £1million towards MND research. Although Simon lost his battle with this cruellest of diseases in Oct 2011 his fund now stands at an amazing £550k+ with many events continuing in the Southam, Windsor and Plymouth areas in his memory.

This year’s Southam event will be supported by Kirsty Leahy, the bubbly presenter from local radio station Rugby FM, who will be interviewing the bands, organisers and crowds. Daniel Brocklebank, who plays the vicar in Coronation Street, will also be there to have a walk round, having photos with party goers and help raise the profile of MNDA.

The day is focused on family entertainment with plenty of activities for children. There is a raffle with fantastic prizes and a range of 5 local bands and artists from Southam and the surrounding area will be playing. Headlining at POTP will be a covers band ” Rock of Ages” who will be finishing the day with rock songs from the 80s.

The fun starts at 3:30pm and people can bring their own chairs and picnics (no glass please). A limited number of gazebo places are available for booking.

Full details of the whole event, including how to purchase discounted tickets via the website or at various locations throughout the town, can be found at  www.partyonthepitch.org.uk  or the Southam RUFC website: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/southam/news/party-on-th-pitch-2017-1807244.html.

Free car parking is available and free transport to and from Southam town centre courtesy of Catterall’s Coaches.

O’Brien were recently thanked for their generosity in supporting the Home of Hope Orphanage in Malawi.

The donation will be an incredible gift for their vision of setting up the Vocational Training Centre and will make a huge impact on the lives of young people. The funding will go directly to the HOH, towards the purchase of new equipment and its staffing of the centre. The donations received will be combined with several other companies to ensure the overall gift is significant and makes a big impact to the project and its progress.

The Vocational Training Centre is the next stage in Home of Hope’s vision for equipping orphans and other vulnerable children to lead independent lives to the full, by providing them with vocational skills to enable them to enter skilled employment, or set up businesses of their own.

The project is grand: constructing the prerequisite infrastructure, sourcing the tools and equipment essential to the courses and employing staff. It is a long-term venture and it will be good to be able to see the progress that has been made over the past few years and the difference further funding will make for the future.

http://malawiorphanfund.uk/home-of-hope/vocational-training-centre/

We have proudly supported Kier Construction and Sense with a garden makeover that Alan Titchmarsh would be proud of.

Our team helped carry out the transformation at Sense’s King’s Heath care accommodation, following the invitation by Kier Construction Central’s office to support them with one of their local community projects.

O’Brien’s work, included: level reduction, a base for slab area, new slabs (200 in total), scrub removal and the installation of ducting across the garden.

Kier Construction Central had previously completed individual, small-scale community support activities related to their construction projects, but realised by combining their efforts, they could have a greater impact if targeted in the right direction.

A garden refurbishment at a property owned by Sense in Kings Heath was identified as a suitable type and size. The property is the home of four adults who all have varying impairments, and require 24 hour care.

Adam Ewing, Project Manager, Kier Construction, said: “Our objective was to improve the whole outdoor experience of the garden, including: safety, access, aesthetic, sensory and maintenance aspects.”

The garden in its original state was very basic, run down, un-safe and not a suitable for the residents.

“The new garden will open the space up and provide residents and their visitors with a wonderful place to meet up, relax and enjoy being outdoors.”

Tony Mitchell, Operations Manager, O’Brien Contractors, said: “We didn’t hesitate to get involved when asked by Kier to support them. We are a family run business, built on a tradition of making a positive impact on the lives of people in and around our operations.

“Sense really does a fantastic job providing people who are deafblind, have sensory impairments or complex needs, with a more independent lifestyle and everyone involved felt that their contribution, however big or small, will really change people’s quality of life for the better.”

Adam Ewing, added: “O’Brien’s assistance was pivotal to the success of the project and their support throughout was a key factor. I would like to thank the team for all their help on behalf of Kier Construction Central.”

We have once again agreed to sponsor two local primary schools as part of the Warwickshire Road Safety Club. Membership of The Club is available to all primary schools in Warwickshire and is organised by Warwickshire County Council’s Road Safety Team.

The importance of road safety was highlighted by the Department for Transport’s latest research, released in June 2016, which found there were 22,137 people seriously injured in reported road traffic accidents across the UK in 2015, with 1,910 being children aged 15 or younger.

O’Brien’s Director Mike O’Brien will be visiting Our Lady & St Teresa’s this week to find out how road safety education can benefit the local community. Mr O’Brien, said: “O’Briens is a successful, family run business, with a culture of supporting our local community and charitable initiatives. Having seen the excellent work the Warwickshire Road Safety Club do in teaching young pupils how to stay safe on the roads, we were only too happy to sponsor the schools for a second year.” Mr O’ Brien and his brothers all attended the school on Windmill Hill.

The schools will run a series of road safety initiatives throughout the year including the Kerb Safe pedestrian training for 6 – 7 year olds.

Cubbington Primary School will also benefit from the sponsorship again this year.

Eleni Jenks, Assistant Headteacher of Cubbington CE Primary School, said: “The Road Safety Club is a great way to engage with our pupils and get them thinking about road safety. Through the scheme, they learn vital skills that will help prevent accidents and equip them with lifelong skills. We really appreciate the support provided by O’Briens.”

We have generously lent our support to British Blind Sport by sponsoring its 2017 youth swimming gala.

British Blind Sport is a charity based in Leamington that helps visually impaired, blind and partially sighted people participate in sport.

Fundraising Manager Ian Carr said, “The youth swimming gala is one of British Blind Sport’s flagship events that’s been in our calendar for a number of years. Last year’s event was one of the most successful we’ve staged as we welcomed over 50 visually impaired kids from all over the country to take part in 35 races throughout the afternoon. For a number of children – especially those attending mainstream schools – it is the first time they are able to swim competitively against other children with visual impairments. It’s not all about the competition though, the open and friendly nature of the day means that the children and parents make friends and have a thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable day that often acts as a springboard to continue swimming competitively or as a hobby.”

Some of the feedback from last year, included:

• “It’s fantastic to have an event that kids can compete in. To see all the children enjoying themselves is brilliant. I wish there were more events like this.” – Lucy, mother of a participant
• “Best gala I’ve been to; it was full of atmosphere.” – Kian Saville, participant
• “It’s the first time we’ve been, but we will definitely come again. It’s brilliant!” – Cornel, mother of a participant

Mick O’Brien, Director of O’Brien Sports added, “British Blind Sport is an important organisation, making a really big difference to blind and partially sighted people. “

“Sports participation can help children: build their confidence, develop new friendships, practise their social skills, but most importantly, provide them with an opportunity to have fun taking part in an activity they are good at.”

“We are very happy to continue our involvement with British Blind Sport and wish all the competitors a fun and enjoyable swimming gala.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the support O’Brien’s continue to show us here at BBS and the sponsorship of this event will allow us to provide a great sporting opportunity for numerous visually impaired children.” Ian added.

If you would like to make a donation to the British Blind Sport you can do so easily at www.britishblindsport.org.uk/fundraising/donate

We are proud to announce we have supported Warwick Myton Hospice in giving the centre a makeover.

Through its’ patient and family support services, the Coventry and Warwickshire based charity provides vital assistance to 1,000 patients and their families each year, from hospices in Warwick, Rugby and Coventry.

The initiative has presented us with the opportunity to give back to the community by donating members of staff to decorate sections of the Myton Hospice in Warwick.

Tony Mitchell, Operations Manager, said: “The specialist care Myton Hospice gives to people who are terminally ill is magnificent. We were delighted to have the opportunity to help maintain one of their first-class facilities, helping ensure their patients have a comfortable environment to be cared in.”

Over the last couple of years, we have adopted a more strategic approach with a number of Midlands-based leading organisations, including: Morgan Sindall, John Sisk & Son, Aston University, Kier Group, Galliford Try, Birmingham City University and Lovell Partnerships. The change in policy has enabled our business to deliver the highest standards across projects in Birmingham, including: St. Modwen’s Longbridge Town Centre Phase 2 scheme, Alumno Developments’ Number One City Locks, Aston Student Village scheme and The New Assay Office and in-turn, grow turnover by 59.98%, from £17.5m to £28.03m.

This financial success has been the driving force behind the company backing a wealth of community support initiatives, including:

• Sponsored two primary schools in Cubbington as part of the ‘For Schools Warwickshire Road Safety Club’.
• Entered a 14-strong team in the 10K Warwickshire Wolf Run Challenge and raised £1,758 for the West Midlands Alzheimer’s Society.
• Funded four assisted holidays for South Warwickshire charity, ILEAP.
• Supported Leamington-based The British Blind Sports charity in their 40^th Anniversary, to assist blind and partially sighted children and adults in their pursuit of sports participation.

“Our business is run on good family values and we actively get involved in schemes that benefit the local community. 2014/2015 has delivered a record turnover and this financial success has given us the platform to be able to do even more with local charities.”

Phill Jones, Myton Hospice, Estates Manager at the Warwick Hospice, said: “We would like to say an extremely big thank you to O’Brien Contractors who have spent almost three weeks helping transform our Warwick Myton Hospice. Their voluntary labour has saved Myton a significant amount of money. We greatly appreciate their hard work and generosity.”

For further information about Myton Hospice, please visit their website: www.mytonhospice.org

A 14-strong team has taken up the challenge by running wild across Warwickshire in aid of The Alzheimer’s Society.

The pack, made up of quantity surveyors, project managers, engineers, managers, apprentices, groundworkers and administrators, have set a target of raising at least £5,000 for the charity who, through their tireless efforts, improve the quality of life of people and their families affected by dementia.

The 10k Wolf Run near Leamington Spa on September 5th saw the brave fundraisers tackle a unique combination of three kinds of off-road running: mud runs, trail runs and obstacle runs across raw natural terrain, including open ground, woodland, lakes & thick mud.

The team has also organised a number of fundraising initiatives, including raffling four tickets to the Wasps vs Exeter Chiefs encounter, kindly donated by Premiership Rugby team, Wasps and a cake sale.

One of our runners, Operations Manager, Tony Mitchell, has been taken aback by the generosity of members of staff, be it taking part in the run or helping to raise money.

Tony said: “We have been fortunate to have great success over the years and are keen to ensure we give back to the community whenever possible.”

“We organise annual events to raise money for local charities and I am always amazed at the number of staff who are willing to give up their free time to get involved in our fundraising events.”

‘We decided to enter the Wolf Run to raise money for The Alzheimer’s Society because they do a fantastic job supporting vulnerable people struck down by such a terrible disease. Entering a team is a great way, not only to show support, but to motivate ourselves to improve our fitness. It’s good to know that every step will help support people with dementia and their carers today and fund research to find a cure for tomorrow.”

Jeremy Hughes, Chief Executive at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We are delighted that O’Brien Contractors are giving their time to support Alzheimer’s Society. 225,000 people will develop dementia this year, that’s one every three minutes. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of individuals and organisations like O’Brien Contractors to help us continue our vital work. Please back O’Brien Contractors in their fundraising efforts so that Alzheimer’s Society can continue leading the fight against dementia.”

If you would like to donate to the team’s JustGiving webpage, visit https://www.justgiving.com/O-BrienContractors Or text OBCL50 followed by the amount you wish to donate, to 70070, e.g. OBCL50 £5 for a £5 donation.