Coventry charity Global Care's urgent appeal to find a crane company to ensure its summer zipwire fund-raiser can go ahead - The Coventry Observer

Coventry charity Global Care's urgent appeal to find a crane company to ensure its summer zipwire fund-raiser can go ahead

Coventry Editorial 3rd May, 2022   0

A COVENTRY charity which supports vulnerable children and young people in some of the poorest parts of the world may be forced to cancel its big summer fund-raiser after one of its key suppliers went into liquidation.

Global Care assists those in need in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Central America, through education, vocational training, feeding and welfare care.

The organisation had planned a huge zipwire challenge at Rugby’s Draycote Water next month which would see people undertake a daring slide from the top of a 30 to 40ft crane on the top of Hensborough Hill into the country park. Participants would travel 250metres and reach speeds of up to 30mph.

The unique challenge event already has daredevils signed up with more planning to join, in a bid to raise at least £20,000 for the charity’s Children At Risk programme.




But the entire event has been thrown into jeopardy after the crane company involved went bust last month.

Global Care is running the event in partnership with Zipwires UK, which has used the company on numerous previous occasions.


However, despite all its efforts, it has not been able to find another crane supplier with the right type of insurance. Most crane companies have let this type of event insurance lapse because of the coronavirus pandemic, when events like next month’s were cancelled.

Global Care is making a last-ditch plea for a crane company to come forward.

Organiser Anita White, Global Care’s fund-raising and communications manager, said: “Please, please is there anyone out there who can help us?

“We are absolutely gutted, as we have already had to postpone this event twice because of Covid.

“It was originally planned for June 2020, then postponed again in June 2021 because of lockdowns, so we were so excited to be finally able to go ahead.

“It is totally soul-destroying to have to cancel it, and even more annoying that it is, once more, indirectly because of Covid. In a further layer of horrible irony, we really need the money – again because of Covid.”

She added throughout the pandemic, Global Care had been using its Children At Risk funds to feed and educate children in desperately vulnerable communities through lockdowns and school closures and really wanted to top those funds back up again.

“If anyone can come forward with an alternative crane company or an alternative solution we would be so very grateful.”

Any companies which can help can email Anita at [email protected] or call her on 0300 3021 030.

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