Eight members of staff from pharmacovigilance company Panacea Pharma Projects raised £1,600 for Christian Aid by taking part in a charity walk. They raised £800 through sponsorship by walking from Douglas to Peel along the old railway line taking three and a half hours for the journey of around 11 miles. The funds raised were matched by the company and a cheque for £1,600 was presented to Phil Craine, Christian Aid’s Area Officer for the Isle of Man.
The Panacea team who took part in the walk during Christian Aid Week are Joanne Gray, Lauren Hall, Lorraine Halliday, Callum Hussey, Mathew McSevney, Sam Tipper, Liezl Schonken, and Sheeba Thiagarajan. Joanne Gray’s daughter Ashleigh, 12, also took part in the walk.
Sheeba Thiagarajan, Pharmacovigilance Assistant at Panacea, said:
“It was a lovely day and very enjoyable for all who took part. We took a snack break of around 20 minutes in St Johns and ended the evening with fish and chips in Peel! I would like to thank the Panacea team for their wonderful support for Christian Aid Week 2012. It was a fantastic team effort and everyone was so supportive and we’re delighted that Panacea has agreed to match the amount we raised through sponsorship.”
Phil Craine visited the company’s offices at Peterson House, Middle River, Douglas, to accept the cheque. He said:
“Many thanks to everyone who took part in the walk, the time and effort that the Panacea team put in to help Christian Aid is greatly appreciated as is the company’s generous contribution. During this year’s Christian Aid Week in the Isle of Man we aimed to raise £31,000 for a project in Mali to provide clean, safe drinking water to three villages in a drought prone area of the country. Mali is one of the world’s poorest countries and providing clean water can save lives by helping to prevent disease.”
Mr Craine said that the Isle of Man Government’s Overseas Aid Committee had pledged to match any figure raised by Christian Aid on the Island up to £31,000. This should take the total Isle of Man donation to Christian Aid’s Mali project up to £62,000 meaning that up to six villages in the west African country could be provided with clean water. For more information about Christian Aid go to www.christianaid.org.uk.
Photo caption - [Panacea - walk cheque]: Back row, left to right, are Lorraine Halliday, Lauren Hall, Liezl Schonken, Joanne Gray, and Callum Hussey. Front row, left to right, are Sheeba Thiagarajan, Ashleigh Gray (Joanne Gray’s daughter) and Phil Craine, Christian Aid’s Area Officer for the Isle of Man.
