Strand Group was delighted to receive an application for funds to support Gold & Silver Special Olympics medalist, Zoe Lambie.
Zoe, 21, who works for Strand Facilities Services as a cleaning assistant at Cronk-y-Berry School, received a donation of ?300 from the Group’s staff sponsorship fund. She is currently in Belgium at the European Summer Games (9-20th September) and is training towards the 2015 Special Olympics which take place in Los Angeles.
‘We have the fund to support members of our team in their pursuits outside of work’, said Strand Group Chairman, John Hellowell. ‘There’s always someone raising funds for a worthwhile cause, or taking part in a sponsored run or walk. Imagine how excited we were to find out that Zoe was training for the 2015 Special Olympics and that she was already a gold and silver medalist,’ he added.
Zoe’s sport is Badminton and she competes in both the singles and doubles. She’s a keen walker too and took part in the Parish Walk earlier this year. Walking is an important part of her fitness training. She’s been involved with the Special Olympics since 2009 and her first international success was in Poland where she won gold in the singles and a silver medal in the doubles. In 2011, at the Athens Special Olympics, Zoe won gold again in the singles and a bronze in the doubles. In that same year she won the Isle of Man’s disability sportsperson of the year.
Zoe’s partner (pictured) in the doubles is David Hudson. David is also keen on football, floor hockey, and floor ball, a relatively new sport for the Special Olympics.
‘Zoe is a popular member of the Strand team and very modest too as most of us weren’t aware of her successes,’ said Carol Gregory, Strand Group’s HR Director. ‘We will certainly be supporting her in Belgium and in Los Angeles, and hope she’s set for more medals’.
The Isle of Man team has regular keep fit sessions and training for the special athletes at Centre 21 in Douglas. A spokesperson for Special Olympics Isle of Man said, ‘We’re very grateful for this donation from Strand Group, these funds will go towards new badminton rackets, trainers and uniforms. We urge businesses and individuals to find out more about our work and to consider making a donation. We always welcome support, in whatever form in takes’.
Founded in 1985, Special Olympics Isle of Man is part of the Special Olympics family with over 170 countries helping men, women and children with intellectual disabilities through sport, making Special Olympics the largest sporting organisation in the world.
To find out more, or to donate, go to http://www.specialolympicsiom.org.
Photo - Left to Right. John Hellowell, Strand Group Chairman, Zoe Lambie, David Hudson, David Hudson senior (badminton coach) and Carol Gregory, Strand Group’s HR Director.
