Two leaders from our Guildford office have completed a charity abseil – after being nominated to take the plunge by their colleagues.
Louise Paterson, office head and real estate partner, and Andy Wilson, partner and head of residential development, ‘won’ an internal vote amongst their peers and were subsequently selected for the challenge of abseiling down London’s iconic ‘Cheese Grater’ building.
The duo raised more than £9,000 for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, the office’s nominated charity for the year, which will enable the hospice to offer six nights of emergency respite care, giving families the support they need during their most difficult times.
Standing at 738ft (225m), the Leadenhall Building has 48 floors and is the sixth-tallest building in the capital.
Once her heart rate had returned to normal, Paterson said: “Whilst the thought of abseiling down a skyscraper filled us both with immense dread, the money that we have been able to raise for an incredible charity makes it all worthwhile.
“As an office, we are incredibly proud to be supporting Shooting Star. We recently volunteered at Christopher’s, their purpose-built children’s hospice in Guildford, and it was as humbling as it was rewarding to see the crucial work that goes on there. We are pleased that our efforts can play a small part in supporting families when they need it most.”
Beth Armitage, Senior Events Manager at Shooting Star shared, “We’re extremely grateful for Gateley’s support by taking part in our abseil. A big congratulations to Louise and Andy for braving such a tall challenge and for all those who fundraised to support us. Shooting Star provides specialist care and support to families who have a baby, child, or young person with a life-limiting condition, or whose child has died. Through fundraising, Gateley is helping us deliver on our promise to be there for every family. Thank you.”
Earlier this year Gateley published its fifth annual Responsible Business report, featuring an objective to empower its teams to strengthen engagement in their local communities through charitable and volunteering initiatives such as this.
