SMP Partners has presented ?2,000 raised thanks to the efforts of staff during the Parish Walk and Citywing Plane Pull to Manx Cancer Help, the firm’s Charity of the Year for 2014.

SMP Partners employees competed against 10 rival teams to pull an aeroplane over a 34 yard course during the Citywing-organised event in July, while two members of staff completed the 85-mile Parish Walk in June. Participants were sponsored for taking part and the total boosted with a donation from SMP Partners.

As SMP Partners’ Charity of the Year, Manx Cancer Help has already received significant donations, including more than ?7,000 raised during a Venetian-style masquerade ball in January, and will benefit from further events later in the year. The charity will also be promoted at Svetlana Cameron’s upcoming exhibition at the Sayle Gallery in Douglas, which opens to the public from 31 October for three weeks and is being sponsored by SMP Partners.

Mark Denton, Managing Director of SMP Partners, said: ‘The work done by Manx Cancer Help here in the Island, is essential and we are delighted to be able to supporting these vital services.

‘I’m very proud of my colleagues who volunteered their time to help raise money for Manx Cancer help during the Parish Walk and Plane Pull, which were both physically demanding events, and to everyone at SMP Partners who has contributed to the charity.

‘We worked with the charity in 2013 and were pleased to be able to name it Charity of the Year for 2014. We hope the support we have been able to give so far, as well as the funds we plan to raise during the rest of the year, will help ensure the continued delivery of the charity’s important services.’

Manx Cancer Help, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, offers support to anyone affected by cancer. It has a team of professional and dedicated staff who can provide psychological, emotional and physical support to complement any medical treatment being given, and the charity plans to grow and improve its range of services in line with the needs of those affected by cancer.

Manx Cancer Help CEO Andrea Chambers said: ‘The support given by SMP Partners is so important to ensuring we can continue to deliver vital services to people in the Isle of Man affected by cancer, and develop those services to meet the needs of the Island community.

‘I would like to thank everyone from SMP Partners involved in the Parish Walk and Plane Pull for their efforts, and the firm for its continued support which helps not only raise vital revenue, but also raise awareness of what Manx Cancer Help does.’

Photograph: (from left) Manx Cancer Help Chief Executive Officer Andrea Chambers, SMP Partners Managing Director Mark Denton and Ally Martin, Fundraising Events Co-Ordinator at Manx Cancer Help