Despite their frequent success and achievements, Made In members realise that there is a lot more to life than business. It seems to be a common trend that the leading companies across all industries can often be seen taking part in charity events and giving back to their local communities.
For a truly excellent example of the positive efforts of our members, we need look no further than Dutton Simulation, a company who has been utilising their vast expertise in software tools in the manufacturing sectors for over fifteen years.
Trevor Dutton, Director of Dutton Simulation, is personally seeing this latest fundraising venture through along with his wife, Julie. They’ll be heading off on a trek in the remote highlands of Iceland, traversing mountains, rough terrain, hot springs and lava fields, all in support of The Love Hope Strength Foundation.
The LHS Foundation is an organisation which has been supporting those affected by leukemia and cancer for years, as well as raising awareness for their Get On The List programme, which encourages people to register themselves as blood stem cell donors. The foundation makes it easy for people to register, requiring that they perform a simple cheek swab to test their compatibility, and then their details are stored on a central database in case a match is made with someone in need of a transplant.
On top of this, the LHS Foundation undertake a lot of valuable work to raise awareness for the cause - much of which revolves around music, which is where the organisation found its roots.
Last year, Trevor and Julie completed their first trek, Rock the Canyons. The two joined a group of other fundraisers looking to support LHS, and managed to raise £28,500 which went directly towards helping the Get On The List programme.
This year’s trek is set to be even more challenging - a reflection of Dutton Simulation’s commitment to keep raising the bar for spreading awareness of the work being done at LHS.
“It’s simply about wanting to do more to help,” says Trevor. “The more people who get involved, the more we can achieve.”
Trevor goes on to explain the trek by stating:
“There will be about 25 people going, some from the UK and some from the US. It’s a famous route, apparently quite astonishing, and we’ll be covering 55km over 3 days and camping overnight. We want people to know we’re really making an effort on their behalf - it’s a lot of time and effort, and we’re committed to it. We’ve been training for it, just like last year.”
Dutton Simulation has covered the costs of the trip and has made a significant donation to the charity. This means that any donations made will be going to LHS, so anyone interested in contributing can be assured that their money is going straight to where it’s needed.
On top of this, Trevor explains how Dutton Simulation ensures a working environment which encourages charitable work and events, such as supporting their accounting company in their frequent charity work. Trevor sums this up by saying:
“We just feel that if the company is doing well, we should be putting some of that back into a worthwhile cause.”