Tesco staff raise money for Cancer Research

Staff from the Tesco Customer Service Centre in Dundee ran through fire and crawled through live electric wires to complete the ultimate endurance challenge, raising more than £1,800 for Cancer Research along the way.

The Tough Mudder event is a gruelling 12-mile obstacle event designed by British Special Forces.  It was hosted in Scotland for the first time this week, at the Drumlanrig Castle and Country Estate, Thornhill, with more than 5,000 participants taking part.

Andy Verner, a Business Skills Trainer at the centre, was among six Tesco staff taking part in the event.

He said:  “I saw the event online and thought it would be a great way to raise money for charity.  I’ve taken part in half-marathons and other endurance events, but this was something else.

“The obstacles looked really challenging and fun.  How often do you get to run through fire or try to scale a 12-foot wall while caked in mud?”

Andy managed to persuade five colleagues to join him:  Calum Motherwell, Danny Bell, Ian Taylor, Jason Rees and Paul Tomlinson.

Calum said:  “That course was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I would do it again in a heartbeat!  The camaraderie between the participants was unbelievable.  It wasn’t about finishing the course in a record time, it was about helping those around you get past these insane obstacles when there wasn’t much left in the tank.”

Funds were raised in a variety of ways, including participant Jason Rees shaving off his dreadlocks, and auctioning the rental of a luxury apartment in Spain, courtesy of Playa Flamenca Rentals.

Pictured above from left to right: Calum Motherwell, Jason Rees, Danny Bell, Ian Taylor, Andy Verner, Paul Tomlinson, Shaun McCabe.