Two adventurous members of staff from travel retail specialist Macintyre Scott Xtra proved they were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty by jumping out of a plane.
Gemma Knell, 20, and Amy Bell, 23, managed to raise £1,085 for a cause close to everyone at MSX’s heart – the Fred Ridges Foundation – after making the bold decision to do a charity skydive.
The pair, who both work as order processing administrators at bonded warehouse and logistics firm MSX, had never done anything like it before but decided to take the company’s mantra of ‘going the xtra mile’ to a whole new level.
The daring duo made the dive on March 22, in Salisbury, and Amy said she was terrified but couldn’t wait to do it.
She said: “The thought of jumping out of a plane was terrifying but I’m so glad I did it. I think the worst bit was sitting on the edge of the plane just before jumping out, but it was exhilarating and definitely worth it.”
Gemma added: “It was so exciting. Knowing it was for such a good cause made it all worthwhile.”
The Fred Ridges Foundation is a charitable trust set up by MSX managing director, Nicola Ridges-Jones, to raise money for Oracle Cancer Trust in memory of her father, Fred Ridges. Fred owned and ran MSX until 2004, when a battle with throat cancer saw him hand the business over to Nicola to take over. Sadly he lost his battle with throat cancer soon after.
The foundation aims to raise £100,000 in his memory for Oracle Cancer Trust, which supports research into head and neck cancer. Already some £57,000 has been raised through everything from charity gala balls to sponsored walks and sponsored slims.
Nicola Ridges-Jones, managing director of MSX, said: “I’m so proud of Gemma and Amy for taking on such a terrifying task for the good of the Fred Ridges Foundation. They are shining examples of MSX employees – caring, immensely motivated and never afraid to go the extra mile.”
It's not too late to donate to the cause. Head to the JustGiving page now to add your support.
