On Saturday 1st August a 20-strong squad from First Names Group took part in the Isle of Man’s Tough Mann 10k assault course to raise funds for local charity Tabitha’s Trust, the island’s first dedicated child bereavement charity.

It is the second year First Names Group has participated in the challenge for Tabitha’s Trust. The organisers of the Tough Mann Adventure Challenge had promised a bigger and more challenging course for 2015, and with 20 ‘First Names’ raring to go, the Group was well prepared to meet that challenge with the biggest corporate squad of the competition.

Last year, the team consisted of 13 representatives, not only from the Group’s Isle of Man base but also its offices in Jersey and Guernsey. This year, First Names travelled over from the Group’s Shannon and London operations to join the troops facing the island’s toughest assault course.

Under the title of ‘Team Tabitha’, the eager group took on 10 kilometres of hay bales, mud pits, cargo nets, monkey bars and a monstrous hill climb. While the majority of the team just focused on making it to the end in one piece, a handful of First Names had trained hard for the event and wanted to be first across the finish line. Software Developer Graham Furner came in 3rd place overall, as well as claiming the title of ‘King of the Mountain’ for being the quickest competitor to reach the 2km summit of ‘Killer Hill’. And out of the 662 competitors, three more of the First Names Group squad placed in the top 25.

Amongst those taking part was Chris Kissack, who works for FNTC (a First Names Group company) and founded Tabitha’s Trust with his wife Victoria after losing their baby daughter in 2012. Speaking about this year’s event he commented:

“I could not be happier with the grit and determination every member of Team Tabitha showed on Saturday. The support and encouragement Tabitha’s Trust has received from First Names Group has been pivotal in becoming so recognised on the island so quickly. That same support and encouragement could be seen during Tough Mann, with lots of First Names coming down to cheer on their colleagues and help out on the day.

“It is great to be part of a group which not only supports local charities like Tabitha’s Trust but is also passionate about getting involved in sporting events like the Tough Mann, as it gives people the opportunity to meet and work together with colleagues based in different departments, offices and regions.”

Tabitha’s Trust also had three other participants representing the charity who, while not being ‘First Names’, joined Team Tabitha on the day to tackle the challenging event. The total raised by Team Tabitha at this year’s Tough Mann Challenge is still being counted, but First Names Group aims to smash last year’s ?1750 total.

To find out more about Tabitha’s Trust and donate online, visit www.tabithastrust.com.