Finance director takes it on the chin for charity

The sight of Rock’s finance director Andrew Wood swinging his fists and stumbling about in a daze is, we’re happy to report, not a common one. Yes, it was a Saturday night and, yes, he was in a pub at the time. It was, however, all for a good cause.

Not to be outdone by John Walsh’s Herculean efforts for charity, Rock’s finance director Andrew Wood weighed in with his own test of physical endurance. No miles of kayaking or marching for Andrew. Instead he elected to, as he delicately put it, “have my head kicked in” at a charity boxing event held at the Grasshopper Inn in Westerham. All proceeds went to Help for Heroes, the charity which works to provide better facilities for wounded British servicemen and women.

The event was a big success and began with a champagne reception, though Andrew had to forego his bubbly for fear that he’d be punch drunk a little later. As it happened he wasn’t out for the count, but still on his feet by the end of his three rounds. Andrew bobbed and weaved his way to raising £3,000 on the night, which we believe does make him a champion of sorts.

John Walsh rises to the challenge for cancer charities

You might wonder just why our managing director John Walsh would choose to spend two weeks in a kayak. Was he testing a new product? Is Rock looking to expand its operations into the field of insulating waterborne craft? Well, no. Paddling 127 miles down a Norwegian fjord may seem crazy, but the motive was eminently sane. John was part of a team that kayaked along Norway’s Sognefjord, the second longest fjord in the world, to raise money in support of two cancer charities.

Although the surrounding mountainous landscape was breathtaking, it was no mean feat to paddle on average 26 miles (an aquatic marathon) each day against the tide, wind and rain at times whilst dodging killer whales and cruise liners on the wider stretches. 

And as if that weren’t enough, a fortnight later John set off with another group to walk the 82 mile length of Hadrian’s Wall. Clearly our MD was on a mission – and one that he energetically accomplished. From the many generous donations he received through his JustGiving web page, John managed to raise over £10,000 for the Ellis Harriet Clark Foundation and the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust Charitable Fund.

So what next for John Walsh? If he proposes abseiling down the outside of the Shard for charity, we’ll be sure to let you know.