National merchant Jewson recently held its second dragon boat race tournament, raising vital
funds for its two official charity partners, Band of Builders and Whiteleys Retreat.
A total of 220 people – made up of Jewson colleagues and team members from 25 of its suppliers –
were split across 15 teams, competing in a series of races on Draycote Water, near Rugby, ahead
of a knockout round. A grand finale took place between four teams, with the highly competitive
race won by ‘The Eliminators’ – a mix of team members from Jewson, Band of Builders and CTEC.
As well as the tournament, Jewson ran bake sales, a raffle and BBQ lunch and raised a significant
amount for its two charitable causes.
Throughout the year, Jewson organises a wealth of other fundraising activities for Band of Builders
which supports tradespeople and their families during times of need. These include initiatives like
the annual Big Brew, which is held in October and encourages tradespeople to connect over a hot
drink in a bid to remove the taboo around mental health in the construction industry.
This is the first year Jewson has supported Whiteley’s Retreat, its official charity partner for
Scotland and the North. The organisation, which has a centre based in Ayrshire, provides free
therapeutic respite breaks and extended support for children, young people and their families with
cancer or life altering illnesses. The charity was selected earlier this year by Jewson employees
who have a close connection with the cause.
Richard Holland, Category Manager at Jewson, said: “Following last year’s hugely successful
dragon boat tournament we knew the event had to feature again for 2023. Events like this are
important for so many reasons. Primarily, we want to raise money for these two fantastic
organisations, that are in such need of donations from businesses and communities like ours. It’s
also a great opportunity to bring people together, giving them the chance to work in teams away
from the workplace – you guarantee a lot of competitiveness but also passion for a shared cause,
and a lot of fun!”
Tony Steel, Operations Director at Band of Builders, said: “We’re several years into our charity
partnership with Jewson and we’re continually amazed by the amount of effort the whole team
puts into supporting what we do.
“This year’s dragon boat race was a lot of fun, and it was great to see so many people come
together for such a special occasion. The money raised will go towards some of the many
tradespeople and their families that we’re looking to support in the coming months, and we know
they’ll be greatly appreciative.”
Maxine Allan, CEO of Whiteleys Retreat, said: “In the few months we’ve partnered with Jewson,
we’ve been impressed by the lengths the company goes to, to support causes like ours. The dragonboat race is just one of the multiple initiatives we’ve been able to get involved with so far this year, and it was a true demonstration of the giving nature that sits at the heart of Jewson.”
