SMP Partners is the latest Isle of Man business to become a Team Isle of Man Champion. A total of 10 Island businesses will be announced as Team Isle of Man Champions in the countdown to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games as part of an initiative to help raise funds to send a strong team to the event. SMP Partners is one of the Island’s leading providers of corporate, trust, tax, accounting and fund administration services. The Champions campaign is also raising awareness of the Games and celebrating the sense of national pride that we will all share next July when Team Isle of Man takes part in the opening ceremony and is seen by millions of TV viewers around the world. The Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association (IOMCGA), which is the charity responsible for the publicity, fundraising, travel and support for the Island’s team, says that the Champions initiative is a vital part of preparations not just for Glasgow 2014, but also for the 2018 Games in Australia, and the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa in 2015, and St Lucia in 2017. The Association relies upon fundraising events and donations to fund Team Isle of Man’s participation. Mark Denton, Managing Director of SMP Partners, said:
“SMP Partners is proud to be supporting Team Isle of Man as it prepares for the Commonwealth Games and we are very excited to be playing our part. We are already supporting Team Isle of Man in our capacity as one of the sponsors of the Isle of Man Sporting Excellence Programme, which has seen the Island’s top sports performers and coaches benefit from world class training led by Olympic legend Dame Kelly Holmes. Many of the participants in that programme will be going to the Commonwealth Games and it will play an important part over the next 10 months in assisting with their preparation. Also, we are supporting our shooting team by co-sponsoring a major Commonwealth Shooting Federation competition which takes place on the Island in September.”
Juliet Holt, President of IOMCGA, said:
“We are delighted to announce SMP Partners as Team Isle of Man champions. Their support is greatly appreciated and their contribution will enable our Champions’ initiative to play an important role in our fundraising strategy for the next few years. We now have eight Champions, but there are still two more places left to complete the list of 10 and we would be delighted to hear from other businesses wishing to show their pride in supporting our national team.”
In addition to SMP Partners the other Champions signed up so far are Manx Telecom, Skanco, IOMA Fund and Investment Management Limited, Auxesia, Heron and Brearley, Creechurch Capital, and MM&C. As Team Isle of Man Champions businesses can, for example, use the official Champions logo on all marketing material, company vehicles and on their website. Other benefits include two tickets to an event at the Games which Champions can use to raise funds for Team Isle of Man. The Champions initiative will continue until May 2014 and the arrival on the Island of The Queen’s Baton Relay which will visit every nation and territory of the Commonwealth, and symbolically unites the two billion citizens of the Commonwealth in a celebration of sport, diversity and peace. The baton will arrive on the Isle of Man on May 16, 2014, from the Guernsey and Jersey legs of the relay. It will leave the Island on May 19 and continue on its journey with the next stop being Northern Ireland - then it’s on to Wales, England, and its final destination of Glasgow. Details of the exact route it will take in the Isle of Man have yet to be finalised. The Isle of Man will be one of 71 nations competing in Glasgow between July 23 and August 3, 2014. According to figures from Global Television and Sunset+Vine - host broadcasters for the Games - more than one billion TV viewers could be watching. Manx competitors won two bronze medals at the last Games in Delhi in 2010 - shooter Tim Kneale in the double trap event and cyclist Mark Christian in the points race on the track. But hopes are high that our team can exceed that tally next year. For the latest news about Team Isle of Man go to www.cga.im which also allows donations to be made to the team. Any businesses interested in becoming a Team Isle of Man Champion should contact Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association President Juliet Holt by emailing juliet_holt@hotmail.com – or contact Association Vice-President John Knight by emailing JohnKnight@thechildrenscentre.org.im.
Photo - At SMP Partners’ offices in Douglas with the Team Isle of Man Champion logo are Mark Denton, Managing Director of SMP Partners, and Juliet Holt, President of the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Association.
