A sporting team from Luke Evans Bakery in Derbyshire has raised more than £1,000 for charity, partly as a thank-you for saving the life of the father-in-law of one of its employees.
If it hadn’t been for the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance, John Downs might have died after having a heart attack on the course at Alfreton Golf Club a few years ago.
Now his son-in-law Mark Dance, who is transport manager at Luke Evans Bakery, and five others in their team have completed the Calke Abbey 10K.
Their efforts have netted more than £1,000 which will be split between the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance and the Lullaby Trust, which provides specialist support for bereaved families and anyone affected by a sudden infant death.
For most of the six-strong team, it was the first time they had undertaken such a challenge.
Helen Yates, operations director at Luke Evans Bakery, was part of the team and the only one who had previously run a 10K race.
“Without the air ambulance, Mark’s father-in-law wouldn’t have been taken to hospital as quickly and may not have survived, so we felt the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance was an extremely worthwhile charity to support,” said Helen. “Everyone at Luke Evans Bakery is very proud of the team, and I’d like to thank them for taking part, as well as those who have been most generous with their donations.”
Bakery customers, family and friends all donated to the fundraising efforts. The team’s Justgiving page will stay open for a while longer to collect from anyone else who would like to support the team. It can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/lukeevans10k/
Other members of the Luke Evans Bakery team were drivers’ mates Daniel Wainwright and Reece Johnson, dispatch worker Jason Bacon, and Matthew Hood, the boyfriend of the daughter of Luke Evans managing director David Yates.
First past the post for the Luke Evans team was Daniel, who completed the race in 51 minutes and 1 second, and was second in his age group. He was followed by Mark who recorded a time of 52 minutes and 37 seconds, and Jason, who came in at 54 minutes, 54 seconds.
Luke Evans Bakery, which is based at Riddings, supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers, including shops, delis, schools and universities, as well as selling direct from its shop in Riddings, near Alfreton.
The family run firm was founded in 1804.
For more information about Luke Evans Bakery visit www.lukeevans.co.uk
