Prima Solutions Adventure Challenge 20th June 2009
Published: 02 July, 2009
On 20th June 2009, the Prima Solutions Adventure Challenge, supported by Footwear Today, saw teams from across the fashion industry take on a remarkable triple challenge: hiking, biking and canoeing around the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, whilst raising valuable funds to support the poverty fighting work of CARE International.
The day began at 6am when half of the teams set off on mountain bikes to complete a demanding course around Talybont reservoir- a morning of exertion which included a break from cycling in order to complete a tough canoe relay across the water. Meanwhile, the other half of teams spent the morning hiking up Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in the famous Brecon Beacons Horseshoe- and back again in time to swap activities for the second half of the day.
Around ten hours and a lot of effort later, teams stumbled over the finish line, exhausted and elated, to cheers and applause from support crews and CARE staff. There was enough time to rest, shower and get spruced up for the evening's celebratory reception in Abergavenny's Angel Hotel.
Following a well-earned dinner, awards were handed out- firstly to the team from John Lewis who finished first, in an astonishing five hours and 41 minutes. While they cited their determination to finish in time to watch the rugby in the afternoon, it is clear that their victory was also due to a lot of hard work and training and was well deserved.
The coveted prize for litter collecting went to Blues Clothing, who made the greatest contribution to CARE's goal of leaving the countryside cleaner than they find it. The prize for the best photo went to Womenswear Buyer for an acrobatic image on the summit of Pen y fan. And the most important prize of all went to Blues Clothing for their top fundraising figure of £11,000. Said Mason Challinor, Blues Clothing team leader, "The whole weekend was first class, the staff were so friendly and created such a supportive, fun atmosphere. We look forward to next year's event!"
Participating teams came together from across the fashion industry, including teams from Timberland (awarded second place in fundraising finishing time), Gucci group, John Lewis Partnership, ITE Moda, Cosalt, Blues Clothing and Prima Solutions.
The event, sponsored by Prima Solutions, the UK's leading provider of multi-channel software solutions for the clothing, footwear & fashion industry, raised a total of £50,000. This money will support the work of CARE International, who work in 70 countries helping 55 million people find a route out of poverty. John Norman, Managing Director of Prima Solutions said: "I am delighted that we managed to raise £50,000 for CARE. This is was great event and I'd like to thank everyone who participated in, and contributed to its success."
