To Derby and Back ... How We Supported The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust
Posted on 4th May 2021 at 13:38
Following the announcement of the support of the Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust at the start of April, we quickly got into action and launched our first fundraiser. Dave Trolle, founder of Customer First Digital decided that he would lead the way, biking 200 miles, the equivalent of cycling from my home town to Derby and back, as fast as he possibly could.
You may ask why Derby and more importantly, why we are supporting The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust. The reason why is simple ... Derby was the home town of Ben Latham, a former colleague and close friend of Dave who lost his life tragically to an undiagnosed Aortic Dissection. With 2,000 deaths a year (and rising) from this 'detectable killer', our aim like the charity is to raise awareness and funds, in order to improve understanding of the condition and reduce deaths.
Did Dave manage to complete the challenge?
In short, yes he did! Dave managed to complete the bike ride in 8 days, riding almost 15 miles greater than his original target of 200 miles. He clocked up the miles in just under 23 hours, which for an inexperienced rider who had only just started biking 16 miles once a week was an amazing achievement. Dave's personal passion towards the cause and the support he received from donations and encouragment from social, were two of the major reasons why he managed to complete the ride. Maybe the cold April weather we experienced was a motivator to complete as soon as possible too!
The best moment of the ride ...
The stand out moment of the ride was when Harry Latham asked to be part of the 200 mile leg. Harry, pictured in the photo lost his father, Ben Latham from an Aortic Dissection in 2018. The sudden loss of Ben for the family, friends and colleagues is the reason why Dave is so passionate about not only raising funds, but also to create awareness and avoid unnecessary deaths from the condition.
We would like to say a massive well done to Harry who managed to bike a personal best of 10 miles. Great work Harry!
The final total raised ...
The support for Dave's efforts and more importantly the charity has been amazing, with £1,060 being raised for the charity. This is more than double the original £500 amount which was targeted to be raised.
In addition, Customer First Digital have added an additional £440, bringing the total funds raised to £1,500.
More to come ...
We will continue to support the trust throughout the rest of the year, posting updates across our site and social channels from the charity throughout the year. We will also be launching another fundraiser in the summer, bringing together our premium partners. Watch this space!
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