‘Lightly Lads’ to cycle length of UK for charity


26th February 2018

(UK) – Lighting industry professionals Simon Fisher and Jon Estell hope to raise £20,000 for three charities: Moo Bears, Charlie’s Gift and Camps International.

In June 2018, two lighting industry professionals will cycle the 909 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats in a bid to raise £20,000 for charity.

Simon Fisher, product designer at F Marks, and Jon Estell, head of Spectral UK, also known as the ‘Lightly Lads’, will spread their fundraising efforts across three causes – Moo Bears, Charlie’s Gift and Camps International – raising money via personal donations on their Justgiving page, as well as through corporate sponsorship.

The pair has recently surpassed the halfway point of their £20,000 target, and have secured ten corporate sponsorships from the lighting community – ALP Europe, F Mark, Gamma, LED Lighting Solutions, LPA Lighting, Mackwell, Primelight, Reflektorlux, Ridi and Selux. Each of these sponsors have pledged to donate £1 per mile to Fisher and Estell – £909 per sponsor.

Of the funds raised to date, Fisher commented: “We are totally overwhelmed with the support and generosity our industry friends and colleagues have shown us so far. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to all those who have supported us to date, with special thanks to our corporate sponsors.

“We feel determined to achieve our target of £20,000 to support and secure the future of three very worthwhile causes.”

Estell added: “We have been training incredibly hard for the past few months now as the challenge date nears. We feel so honoured to be able to do something we love, all in the name of helping others. The level of support is phenomenal and its motivating us to train harder. We want to do everyone proud.”

All three causes are very close to the duo’s hearts, with Moo Bears specifically helping a fellow lighting professional, Scott Callis and his family. Oliver Dean Callis was born on 6th of January 2013 with Downs Syndrome, sight and hearing problems and with four holes in his heart. Despite several serious episodes, Oliver has prevailed and is now four years old. His father, Scott has dedicated his life and profits from his business to making Oliver’s life comfortable and secure for the future, and the contribution from this ride will further help provide for Oliver’s education and future comfort.

‘Charlie’s Gift’ is a Hertfordshire-based charity, which provides grants of money to support local children who face challenges in life because of health issues, special needs, bereavement or poverty, in the hope of making these children’s lives happier.

Finally, Camps International is a social enterprise on a global scale, with volunteers undertaking social and environmental project work in areas of both economic need and ecological significance. Camps International works with communities, so they can empower themselves and generate income, they protect and conserve the environment, and transform lives by running global trips and projects to support those in need

For more information on the ‘Lightly Lads’ challenge, the three charities or to donate, visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/s-fisher-1.

Jon Estell (left) and Simon Fisher (right), will cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats in June 2018 to raise £20,000 for charity. (Pic: David Thrower, Redshift Media)