Over the summer, FASTSIGNS franchises have worked together to raise funds for the Simon Cooper Foundation. The franchise network aimed to cover a minimum of 720 miles by walking, running or cycling, to raise funds and awareness for a charity close to their communal heart.
The charitable initative, ‘FASTSIGNS Goes the Extra Mile’ was born through a network-wide desire to support fellow franchisees, Paul and Angela Cooper, who established the Simon Cooper Foundation, in 2016. The foundation continues the legacy of their son, Simon, who suffered from the life-limiting illness, cystic fibrosis and passed away from complications of the disease during the summer of 2016, aged just 33.
Throughout his life, Simon received a number of life-sustaining transplants, including a liver transplant at the age of 16 and a double-lung transplant in his mid 20’s. In January 2016, Simon was diagnosed with cancer, in his transplanted lungs, which sadly claimed his life just seven short months later.
Whilst alive and despite the adversity of his illness, Simon was a selfless fundraiser, often looking for ways to help others; dedicating much of his spare time to fundraising, charitable giving and raising awareness for causes that were important to him. To continue Simon’s dedication to fundraising, the Coopers set up the Foundation with the purpose of raising funds for specialist medical care facilities and hospices associated with cystic fibrosis, cancer and other life-limiting conditions.
In support of the Foundation, the FASTSIGNS network began its 720 mile exercise challenge in May 2018. In the subsequent weeks, 17 of the 21 FASTSIGNS centres were allocated a week, in which they pledged to cover a minimum of 42 miles, in order to hit the mileage target. Many of the contributing centres eclipsed that mileage figure!
Joint franchisee of FASTSIGNS Leeds, Andy Simpson, kicked the summer of exercise off to a strong start by cycling 80 miles in the Tour De Yorkshire, giving the following centres a tough act to follow! Not to be outdone by such a positive start, the remaining centres found increasingly creative ways to complete their miles. Laura Riddell from FASTSIGNS Gloucester delivered a business network presentation from the saddle of her exercise bike; FASTSIGNS Hammersmith completed a team triathlon; and Max Harvey from FASTSIGNS Guildford competed in Tough Mudder.
“The ‘FASTSIGNS Goes the Extra Mile’ initiative was created as a show of unity from the UK network,” explains John Davies, Managing Director of FASTSIGNS UK. “Helping Paul and Angela in their endeavour to make life easier for people who suffer with life-limiting illnesses was a no brainer for us. Simon was a great inspiration in his selfless devotion to helping others.”
The summer of exercise drew to a close on Saturday 1st September. FASTSIGNS have collectively raised £3,204.96 and obliterated their initial mileage target by covering over 1,528,52 miles.
When you become part of the FASTSINGS network, you become part of a community who are encouraged to go the extra mile, beyond building a successful business. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact us by visiting fsfastsigns.co.uk or calling 01785 253140.
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