Super soaking for
Macmillan Sussex
It was the challenge that not only
saturated its participants but also
social media – and that was the idea.
The Ice Bucket Challenge lasted for
months and months this year and
raised millions for charity across the
globe. There was a time when news
feeds on sites such as Facebook and
Twitter were full of nothing else and
staff at Mayo Wynne Baxter were more
than happy to jump on the bandwagon
to raise money for the firm’s chosen
charity, Macmillan in Sussex.
One of our trainee solicitors, Jo Ironside,
used our internal communications
system, Groups, to put some of our
most senior members of staff on the
spot, challenging them to a chilly
soaking. The highest bidder got to soak
the ‘victim’ of their choice and money
flooded in for Macmillan, with £600
raised for the charity.
On the day, chairs were lined up on
an outside balcony for Chief Executive
Chris Randall; Chairman Dean Orgill;
Human Resources Director Clare Smith;
Marketing Director Jason Edge; Finance
Director David Harrison and Partner
Lee Hills. Ice was put into water well in
advance of the challenge to ensure it
was extra cold and Jo, who got to douse
Lee, poured the bucket over his head
excruciatingly slowly.
it was originally set up to raise money
specifically for the International
Alliance of Motor Neurone Disease
(MND) and Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis (ALS) Association.
By Liza Laws
The Ice Bucket Challenge social media
campaign was initiated by Pete Frates,
a former Boston College captain who
is living with motor neurone disease in
the US. It soon went viral and a range
of charities have benefited, although
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