April 2023

Saturday was an absolutely fantastic day and triumph, as two teams took part in the ultimate obstacle course that was Born Survivor! Situated in the beautiful grounds of Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield, make no mistake, Born Survivor’s not your average mud run or obstacle fun day – this is the ultimate military obstacle course challenge!

Born Survivor courses are set using the natural terrain features with up to 30 epic military training inspired obstacle challenges. Thousands of participants began in the starting cage and prepared to run, climb, haul, leap, slide and crawl as they stampeded round the 10km or 5km course.

Running to raise money for the Foundation and Willowbrook Hospice were Wharton Fitness Works and FlamCo. They both tackled the course with amazing determination, effort and gusto and we salute them!

Not only did they all complete the course, but they also raised over £7k for both charities in the process!! This is an outstanding fundraising effort and we are so grateful to everyone that donated and took part.

Here are some photos from the day:

If you dare take on this adventure you’ll need a stiff upper lip to conquer the challenge alone. We encourage teamwork and even if you don’t enter as a team we know you’ll assist your fellow Survivors in completing the course. But it’s not a race; it’s designed as a challenge for everyone over the age of 16 to tackle at their pace, whatever their ability.

The good news is that the next Born Survivor date has now been released and will take place at Ribble Valley, Gisbourne Lancashire on the 16th September.

Please watch this space for further details and how to register for the next one!!

A huge congratulations are in order for local St Helens Football team Pilkington FC, as they are crowned winners of the North West Counties Football League First Division North Championship! They won 4-0 last night at Bacup Borough to secure the league title and promotion to the Premier Division.

The STF are extremely proud to be the Official Shirt Sponsor Partner of the new Champions, and have supported the team massively over the last year. Our logo can be found in a prominent position on the distinctive green shirts of the players, and we are delighted to gain their support in raising awareness of the Foundation and what we stand for.

We wish them all the best in their rise to the Premier Division, and long may their winning streak continue!

Our Founder Andy Reid MBE had this to say:

It’s great to work in partnership with such an outstanding local sports team, and support each other fully with what we do. I’m really proud to see our logo on their shirts every time they play, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for them!

The Foundation is always ecstatic when people undertake personal challenges and choose to support us in doing so. We are therefore delighted that James Sloane  from JMW has chosen to run the Manchester Marathon on April 16th to raise funds for the Foundation. 

James works in the JMW Military Claims department as a Solicitor for servicemen and veterans who have unfortunately sustained great suffering through the line of military duty. They represent many different kinds of victims such as PTSD sufferers, deafness cases, cold injured clients, sufferers of orthopaedic injuries, as well as victims of abuse, bullying and discrimination.

James says:

I planned the marathon many months ago as it has always been a challenge I’ve wanted to conquer. I tried to do one in 2013 but pulled out due to injury and it has taken me 10 years to muster up the fitness and conviction to go for it again. I heard about Andy’s story through my Head of Department, Clare Stevens, who has known Andy for years. I was greatly inspired by his Kilimanjaro climb last year. I have always found the struggle of overcoming adversity to be greatly inspiring and nothing encompasses the glory of fighting back more than Andy and his foundation which is why I selected the foundation for the run !

We are very grateful to James for his support and wish him all the best with the run!

Please give generously and show your support on James’s Just Giving Page HERE.