Beckett Investment Management Group has become the latest Suffolk business to throw its weight behind talented up and coming sportsmen and women from the county.
The chartered financial planners have joined Pound Gates Chartered Insurance Brokers, Ensors Chartered Accountants, Ellisons Solicitors, Concertus and StrategiQ as sponsors of the hugely successful Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club.
The club, which was set up in January 2015, raises money for SportsAid, the national charity for sports people, to enable them to support talented up and coming sportsmen and women from the county with the costs of training and competing at a national and international level.
Becketts sponsorship was announced at the latest fundraising lunch which saw 250 local business leaders descend on Wherstead Park near Ipswich for a special lunch with former England International rugby star Jeff Probyn.
Probyn, who won 37 caps for England and was once voted the best prop in the world, entertained and amused the packed audience with tales from his playing days. He said “too many talented young sportspeople don’t fulfil their potential because the cost of training and competing at a high level can be unduly restrictive. The work of SportsAid is therefore vital in supporting their journey. However, SportsAid cannot function without the generous support of businesses like Becketts and the other Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club sponsors. I therefore salute and thank them for their generous sponsorship.”
Austin Bryden, Senior Employee Benefits Consultant at Becketts, said “we are delighted to be part of the Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club and thank Pound Gates, Ensors, Ellisons, Concertus and StrategiQ for giving us this opportunity. It’s a great fit for a business like ours because, like the sportspeople SportsAid supports, we always strive to deliver the highest standards.”
As is tradition, the event saw a SportsAid award presented to a super-talented sports person from Suffolk. On this occasion the recipient was local rugby union player Connie Powell. Powell is a member of the England Under 20 women’s team and played for England in the 2018 Under 20 Tri Nations win against Canada at the tender age of just 17. More recently she has been invited to train with the England senior squad with the RFU (Rugby Football Union) identifying her as having ‘the potential to become a senior international’.
A delighted Powell said “it’s amazing to receive this support. It’s a massive help that will enable me to really focus on working hard to become the best player I can possibly be. I can’t thank SportsAid and the sponsors enough.”
The event is expected to have raised over £7,500 for the charity, with every penny going to support young sportsmen and women from Suffolk.
The next Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club event takes place on Friday 20th September 2019, also at Wherstead Park. The guest speaker will be Charlotte Edwards CBE one of the most significant female cricketers of all time. For further information contact Adam Baker at adam.baker@suffolk.gov.uk.
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For further information about SportsAid contact Adam Baker, tel. 01473 260821, 07894 598296, adam.baker@suffolk.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Ipswich Sporting Lunch Club sponsors:
- Pound Gates Chartered Insurance Brokers are a risk management and insurance broking organisation providing tailored risk solutions for businesses.
- Ensors Chartered Accountants is one of East Anglia's largest and most respected firms of independent chartered accountants and business advisors.
- Ellisons Solicitors is one of the East of England’s oldest established legal practices. They act for a diverse range of business and individual clients, charitable organisations, public authorities and corporate institutions.
- Concertus is an award-winning design and property consultancy that specialises in the delivery of quality, innovative and value focused projects that bring clients’ visions to life.
- StrategiQ is a full service marketing agency based in Ipswich. Creative services include: brand building, content marketing, web design and development, consultancy, video and photography, search marketing (paid and organic), social media, graphic design, PR, email marketing and print advertising.
- Beckett Investment Management Group – chartered financial planners providing a holistic service to private individuals seeking investment options through to HR managers looking to provide healthcare cover to their people.
SportsAid - Supporting the sports stars of tomorrow today
Before they become a household name, an elite sportsman or woman will spend 10,000 hours and thousands of pounds pursuing their dream. Many are forced out long before it comes true.
SportsAid makes it possible for young athletes to pursue their dreams, so that – like 18-year-old Steve Redgrave in 1980 and 13-year-old Kelly Holmes in 1983 – they can one day go on to inspire a nation.
At London 2012, almost two-thirds of the British team were former recipients of SportsAid’s support, winning 20 Olympic and 27 Paralympic gold medals between them. For many, SportsAid were their only means of support at a crucial, early time in their career, before other sources of funding are available. SportsAid continues to work with the governing bodies of 50 disciplines to ensure the right athletes receive support.
SportsAid Suffolk
SportsAid Suffolk was established in 2007 as a legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to support individuals with cash awards in the defining early years of their careers. Since it was launched SportsAid Suffolk has made in excess of 200 grants to talented athletes from the county distributing over £200,000. SportsAid Suffolk is proud to have supported six of Suffolk’s London 2012 participants including both medallists (boxer Anthony Ogogo and powerlifter Zoe Newson), Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games medallists Chris Walker-Hebborn and Harry Martin and all Suffolk’s representatives at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.