Graf UK have only taken part in the Accumulator Challenge twice, but in that time, they have raised a staggering £22,750 and won three awards! They have used some very creative techniques to raise vital funds for the hospice and to become the ultimate accumulators in 2023/24.  

The staff at the Banbury-based firm support the hospice as the charity is very close to the hearts of the people at Graf UK. A number of employees have had family and close friends receive excellent care from the hospice team. This is the motivation that drove the team to excel in the challenge and scoop the Most Creative Fundraising Award by a business in 2019/20, plus the Most Funds Raised and Ultimate Accumulator awards in 2023/24, when they raised over £15,000. 

In 2019, they kicked off the challenge by holding a pub quiz for the staff, family and friends, and during December, they held a German Christmas Market at their Banbury office. With proceeds from the first two events, the team then had enough funds to launch the Great Graf Expedition!  

The expedition was a Top Gear/Grand Tour style event in which two employees, Jack and James, travelled to every Graf location in Europe (eight in total) in a 1994 VW golf. The car cost £350 and the tour took 12 days, where Jack and James visited Graf offices in Scotland, Ireland, Poland, Germany, France and Spain, to name but a few. The drivers raised funds through donations and business sponsorship on the car. The Golden EcoBloc maxx crate, which sat on top of the car throughout the tour, still sits in the Graf UK Banbury reception as a memento of their epic trip and fundraising triumph. Watch James and Jack on their adventures during The Great Graf Expedition on YouTube.

Callum Vallance-Poole at Graf UK was heavily involved in all aspects of the challenge and said: "The best thing about the Accumulator Challenge is allowing people to think of creative ways to raise money for Katharine House. We could have done easy events or common fundraising activities, but we had the freedom to think differently and came up with the expedition and the Christmas market."

In 2023/24, they were determined to steal the Ultimate Accumulator crown from Dematic and the team worked incredibly hard to achieve this. As with the previous challenge, they started with a quiz night and then, with one week until the challenge ended, the team pulled out all the stops and held a 24-hour rowing challenge, which entailed the staff rowing 344 miles – from the Banbury to Glasgow offices. Through sponsorship and support from clients, suppliers and other businesses, the team raised over £12,000! It was a gruelling 24 hours, but with every hour the donations kept coming in and each row was getting closer to the ultimate reward!  

Taking part in the challenge helped to bring the company together to achieve a common goal and the whole team were all aligned to raise as much money as possible. Callum reaffirmed how the staff embraced the challenge: "the Accumulator Challenge is a great way to bring your team together and unite the whole business, whilst doing a great thing for a great local charity." 

So, will the team at Graf UK be taking part in the 2024/25 Accumulator Challenge and defending their title? "Yes! 100%! We can’t wait to raise as much money as possible, plus we invite any company to try and beat us." 

Does your team have what it takes to beat Graf UK? If so, register now!  

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