Rhyl store boss named big winner at company bash
Article taken from The Rhyl Journal
Published date: 06 October 2009 | Published by: Terry Canty
"The Cash Converters delegates also named Richard Addison Dreams Come True fundraiser of the year after he succeeded in raising £9,000 for the children’s charity, mainly thanks to the support he has received from people across Rhyl and Prestatyn.
Dreams Come True is Cash Converters’ chosen charity and the company has already raised over £100,000 nationally to help seriously and terminally ill children.
As well as selling £1,000 worth of Dreams Come True pin badges in his Rhyl store, Richard found time to raise thousands more on various charity ventures.
In May, Richard and his wife Sheila completed a gruelling 176 mile, twelve day walk along Offa’s Dyke. They were accompanied part of the way by their local business manager from Barclays Bank in Rhyl: Stewart Williams was so impressed by their efforts that he joined them for a day. Barclays matched the money Stewart raised. The Offa’s Dyke walk raised around £6,000.
Following the Offa’s Dyke walk, Richard went on to organise a much shorter, but more unusual local challenge. As part of the Prestatyn Carnival, Richard set up a Dream Mile where local people were invited to complete the mile by walking, running, jumping or skipping the distance in aid of Dreams Come True.
And when Carolyn Trehearn, a member of the Welsh Clay Shooting Team heard about Richard’s achievements, she organised a day of shooting and an evening banquet for 320 people and their guests. The event raised £1,000 which Carolyn then donated to Richard’s Dreams Come True campaign.
Richard said he was delighted to be named Franchisee of the Year and Fund Raiser of the Year, but that he’d had a lot of local help along the way:
“It’s a great honour, I am really pleased. But mostly I am so glad that we have been able to raise so much money for such a worthwhile charity. £9,000 is a lot of money but it couldn’t have been done without the fantastic backing I have had from local people, local businesses and well wishers. It was definitely a team effort.”
David Patrick, chief executive of Cash Converters UK, said: “This is an exceedingly well deserved reward. Richard has worked tirelessly this year along with his wife Sheila to fundraise for Dreams Come True and at the same time he has managed to continue to grow his business and welcome many more new customers into the store.” "
