After 1016 lapses completed in 24 hours at the Teesside Karting – the first in a series of major endurance races based both in the UK and mainland Europe, Grabex Windows continues to campaign for their local Demelza Hospice Care for Children.

Grabex Windows has launched ‘Race 4 Children’ to raise awareness and funds for Demelza. The charity, which has seen a huge drop in income as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, provides specialist care and emotional support for children with terminal conditions throughout Kent, South East London and East Sussex.

The Orpington-based manufacturer and installer of conservatories, windows, sliding and bi-fold doors, has previously supported Demelza by holding open days which, as a result of the pandemic, have not taken place this year. As lockdown restrictions eased, the company decided to launch its fundraiser which will see the Grabex team compete in a series of endurance kart racing challenges in the UK and mainland Europe over the course of the year, with the final two taking place in the famous Le Mans and Campillios.

“For some time now I have been involved in kart racing and it became my hobby” says Grabex MD – Michael Grabowski. “We decided to invite a few friends from Grabex and from the race track and start fundraising together as a Grabex Racing Team. Demelza was always our chosen local charity but we never backed it up on such a big scale. Pandemic made it worse as fundraising stopped so this time we knew it was the time to do something with a long term prospect to give them our support. By launching Race 4 Children we can continue to raise awareness and funds throughout the course of the year.”

The first races attracted online donations of over £1000 with the offline yet to be officially counted by Demelza representatives. With some adjustments to the original schedule due to quarantine restrictions in mainland Europe, the campaign is now set to continue within the UK.  

The charity has seen a huge drop in income as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and needs our help to deal with the impact of the virus to continue providing specialist care and emotional support for children with terminal conditions. In normal times the vast majority of funding (nearly 90%) comes from the public, and their amazing supporters.

Katie Fielder, Community Fundraising Manager at Demelza, said: “A huge thank you to the team at Grabex Windows for taking on this challenge to raise funds for Demelza. As a charity, we’re almost entirely dependent on the generosity of our supporters to provide the funds that keep our services going and our income has taken a significant hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Their support will make a difference to the children and families who access our services now and in the future.”

We want to express our gratitude and thank our sponsors: Reynaers Aluminium, Carl F Groupco, Remmers, IWM and Soukup, Wurth, Marsh Commercial, Stone Empire, Fit Cookie and UK IT Services who promptly got on board and provided us with their financial support and items that will be auctioned and raffled as our teams are racing!

To donate and find out more about Demelza visit justgiving.com/race-for-children.

To follow Grabex Windows on their fundraising journey visit facebook.com/GrabexRacing.

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