National merchant Jewson recently held its fourth annual ‘Monster’ event raising vital funds for its
official charity partner, Band of Builders.
The T20 Monster Blast saw six teams of cricket players from Jewson’s business units based around
the UK fight it out to be the Grand Final winners. As well as Jewson colleagues, the mixed-sex
teams were also made up of staff from some of Jewson’s key suppliers and players from Tickhill
Cricket Club in Doncaster, where the tournament was held.
The trophy was lifted by SAM Mouldings Red Super Chargers, who beat CTD Green Chiefs.
Celebrations lasted into the evening, with football, darts and table tennis tournaments taking
place as well as live entertainment and food and drink stalls. Elsewhere, raffles were held in
Jewson branches around the country, offering prizes including tickets to the Vitality Blast at Headingly to
see the Yorkshire Vikings take on the Birmingham Bears.
Jewson’s Monster events are the brainchild of its Client and Community Development Director,
Barry Hilling, with the first, the Monster Marathon, taking place in 2016. In 2021, the Monster Walk
saw around 800 Jewson colleagues, customers, suppliers and local organisations walk 130 miles
across five days from Widnes to Hull. On top of the charity walk, members of the Jewson Executive
Team set themselves an additional challenge of running, cycling, walking, swimming and rowing
the distance between all 483 Jewson branches across the UK, equating to 7,388 miles on land and
247 miles on water. And in 2022, around 400 Jewson colleagues took part in the Monster Splash, a
triathlon at Manvers Lake in Rotherham.
All four Monster events have raised funds for Band of Builders, which supports tradespeople and
their families during times of need. Other fundraising activities take place throughout the year for
the charity, including initiatives like the annual Big Brew, which encourages tradespeople to
connect over a hot drink in a bid to remove the taboo around mental health in the construction
industry.
In the three years since Jewson made Band of Builders its official charity partner, it has raised more
than £200,000 for the cause.
Speaking of the event, Barry Hilling said: “We look forward to our Monster events each year
because they bring together colleagues, customers and local communities in a way we would
never normally be able to do. Team members from Scotland to Cornwall, who don’t often get the
chance to work together, had a shared cause which made our fundraising efforts for Band of
Builders even more successful.
“We decided to make Band of Builders our officially charity partner because we share lots of the
same values. People working in the construction industry can often go under the radar, because
there’s often a ‘get on with it’ mentality when things are difficult. But working together, we’re
helping tradespeople see that it’s okay to ask for help, whether you have a physical illness, are
struggling with mental health or just need a friendly face to talk to. Using activities like cricket,
walking, swimming and running to bring about those conversations is simple but highly effective.
“The Monster Blast was a fantastic day. Everyone who attended was in great spirits, knew we were
there to make a difference and we even managed to see some great cricket. To have raised so
much in one day proves that our entire organisation and supply chain sees this partnership as
something that’s vital. I’ve not had time to start thinking about next year’s Monster event yet, but
watch this space!”
Tim Height, a Trustee of Band of Builders, said: “We can’t sing the praises of Jewson highly enough.
From when we first began working together back in 2017, our relationship has gone from strength
to strength. It’s our third year of being Jewson’s official charity partner and the company’s ideas as
to how they can support us keep on getting bigger and better.
“We had the opportunity to speak to lots of Jewson colleagues, customers and suppliers at the
Monster Blast and everyone is really engaged with what we’re trying to achieve – which is
testament to how Jewson portrays us within its business. We’re grateful for every bit of support we
receive and would like to thank Barry and the efforts of his team for putting on such a fantastic
event in support of our charity.”
Suppliers who sponsored the Monster Blast included Marshalls, Aico, Talasey Group, SAM
Mouldings, Hanson, Hippo, CTD, Tembe, JCB, James Jones, Nixon an W G Search. Other suppliers,
including Rockwool, Catnic, Tobermore and BSW Timber erected pop-up stands around the
ground to share details of their organisation with spectators.
