“Never send a southerner to do a northerner’s job” is the vibe Steve Redgwell (pictured) has been picking up on ever since he first announced that Leeds will play host to the second #walkingwithRedgie fundraiser.
Speaking with Insurance Business, Redgwell - who serves as CEO of PIB Group’s specialty division and has been an instrumental figure in raising awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (MND) as well as funding for the charity Challenging MND and MND research – highlighted that the idea for the second walk is a prime example of success begetting success.
The first #walkingwithRedgie fundraiser which took place in London in October 2022, “went beyond anything we thought it would be”. Everything went right, he said, the weather was perfect, the route was idyllic, and the turnout was beyond his wildest expectations, with over 200 people turning up to walk en masse in the name of this great cause.
“It went really well,” he said, “but because of the train strikes, a lot of friends and colleagues from up north that were planning on coming down, couldn’t. So, we all started exploring how we could bring a second walk up to them, which is where the idea for our great northern walk stemmed from.”
Taking place on Saturday, June 03, 2023, and kicking off from the Leeds Rhinos Stadium, Headingley at 10.30am, #Redgiesgreatnorthernwalk is already proving a hit – amassing significant attention across a range of social media platforms. It’s wonderful to see this interaction and support, Redgwell said, but it’s not a surprise as he has seen first-hand how the insurance profession has thrown its weight behind the incredible variety of fundraising events in support of Challenging MND.
“People ran the London Marathon in 2022 and again in 2023 in support of the charity,” he said. “Tim Fillingham of McGill and Partners did a big energy market dinner for the charity. My wife and five of my colleagues and friends have been cycling across Tuscany to raise funds. Between these events and many more, we’ve raised well over £300,000 now, which is just amazing.
“I was speaking with Liane from Challenging MND recently about these funds and who they’re helping. And the amount of money raised is fabulous, but what’s really important is what this actually means to families because MND is a time-critical disease, where often your life expectancy is extremely low. Because the charity didn’t have the funds, previously they were helping one family a month. And now Challenging MND is helping five families a week.”
The difference this funding is making in the lives of families is staggering, Redgwell said, but it’s also been overwhelming to see its impact on research into the causes of MND – with the implications this holds for a potential treatment or even a cure. Connecting with Dr. Katie Sidle, a consultant neurologist specialising in the field of MND who’s working with Professor Rickie Patani of the Crick Institute in London has given him eye-opening insights into the opportunities these “free funds” create.
From his conversation, it emerged that this charity drive has already funded about a year and a half of research, he said, which is why he’s so proud that one-third of the funds raised by these charity initiatives is going towards further research – while the other two-thirds go to ChallengingMND. And with this northern walk introducing a whole new world of people to a greater understanding of MND and the work done by ChallengingMND, he’s excited about where these efforts can go next.
It's an excitement mirrored by Redgwell’s colleagues and friends in the north, and he’s looking forward to greeting them in early June.
“We had our PIB company conference in March, and of the guys that runs one of my divisions who comes from York was saying, ‘I know it’s not a competition but it is. We need to show that us northerners know how to have a party and that we can do a bigger and better walk, and raise even more money for this. So, I know they’re right behind us, and there’s a lot of passion and energy to make this really special.
“And we’ve got people coming up from the south again, we’ve got adjoining people coming over from the Manchester area, people coming out of Scotland, people coming in from the northeast. I have no idea how big this could get but I think it could be a pretty big walk again. Which would just be superb.”
For those looking to get further involved, there are so many ways to do so, Redgwell said, from raising funds, to campaigning for greater awareness around MND – a disease which has flown under the radar for many years now. To anybody considering joining the walk in June, he has only one message – “the more the merrier”.
“And donating really does make all the difference,” he said. “Because to be brutal about it, it’s the cold, hard cash that helps families through challenging times and helps us to fund the research that can really get things moving. If people can contribute whatever they can, that would be so appreciated. If they can share our posts and promote awareness, and encourage others to do the same that would be great. All of these things are what’s going to help us make this a massive success.”
Redgwell noted that as a long-time insurance professional, it’s interesting to see how closely the impressive Challenging MND funding activities align with the insurance proposition. At its heart, insurance is all about people, he said, because it’s people that make the world go round – and it’s time spent around people that you like and trust which makes all the difference.
“And days out like this are the moments and events that bring people together to share experiences and achievements – and to enjoy that sense of being part of something bigger,” he said. “That’s really how awareness gets raised. I’m hoping that our walk in June will be like the one in October – a really fun, family day where people come along and have a lovely walk and get together and build new networks and new friendships by the end of the day.
“I think it’s really going to be something special, and we’d be delighted to see people come along and join us. So, please let us know if you can sign up because we’d love to see you there, we want to have people supporting this and I’m sure it’s going to be another fabulous day.”
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