A COMPANY has rallied together to help a hospice charity in memory of a colleague.

Staff at Chineham-based Exertis, a distributor of technology products for the B2B, mobile and retail markets raised money for the Severn Hospice in memory of Shane O’Connor who worked at the company as a business development manager in the mobile division for over six years.

Severn Hospice is the chosen charity of Shane’s family. It gives specialist care and support free of charge to families across Shropshire and Mid Wales who are living with an incurable illness. Providing care for over 2,700 people every year, two-thirds of its running costs have to be raised through donations.

Mark Weston, mobile sales director, Exertis said “We are on track to meet an ambitious target of £25,000 for the Severn Hospice. Shane was a valued member of our team who sadly passed away earlier this year.

"We have completed the first two charity events in which a number of his former colleagues participated – a triathlon and a marathon bike ride. More are planned, and we have set up a JustGiving site where people can donate.”

Nine members of the Exertis mobile team competed in the Marlow Fugitive Olympic Relay Triathlon at the end of July. The challenge comprised of a 1.5km swim in the Thames, followed by a 37km bike complete with steep hills, and finally a 10km run to the finish.

Two more Exertis employees and a colleague from Sony completed a 100K bike ride on August 11. The route encompassed canal towpaths, off-road cycling and some serious gradient-filled countryside. After cycling over four laps, they successfully finished the challenge in 5 hours 39 minutes.

Donations can be made at justgiving.com/fundraising/exertis-mobile-team.