The event saw the men of Exeter-based Optix Solutions pit their whiskers against each other for Manuary – a month long beard growing challenge to determine the manliest beard in the office.

Starting out clean shaven at the beginning of January, the team persevered for four long weeks, donating money for every day they did not shave.

The hotly disputed contest saw Optix’s Head of Development Nick Watson walk away with the prestigious “Manliest Beard 2012”, and was rewarded with a traditional shaving kit, to help his return to normal shaving practice in February.

The fundraising event place took place at St Olaves Hotel in Exeter and was attended by eighteen Westcountry businesses.

Walking away with the title of Brainiest Business were “The Individuals” made up of a consortium of the finest businesses brains in Exeter. Following closely behind were runners-up KPMG, who held the lead for much of the evening but were pipped to the post in the final rounds.

Amongst the other teams competing for the title were Exeter-based Michelmores Solicitors Frobishers Juices and the Express and Echo as well as PriceWaterhouseCoopers’s Bristol Deal Team.

Parabottle founder Nick Sprague said: “I am thrilled by the support from all the local businesses in helping us raise an incredible £4,600, which will go a long way towards the continued prototype development in 2012. Congratulations to “The Individuals” for beating the seventeen other teams to the title”.

Parabottle are currently developing a functional prototype with Cardiff based Airbourne Systems who began testing preliminary parachute mechanisms last month in the Arizona desert.

For more information on Parabottle or to donate please visit www.parabottle.org.uk

ENDS

About Parabottle:
Parabottle was founded in 2010 by Nick Sprague, (Chairman and founder of the Exeter-based fruit ingredients company Cobell, which owns Frobishers Juices).

The Parabottle concept was born after the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010 which left the country’s arterial roads and airstrips so badly damaged that significant areas were inaccessible to aid agencies for a staggering eight days.

Frustrated by the situation in Haiti and the lack of basic aid such as food and water, Exeter businessman Nick Sprague combined his knowledge of packaging with his early military experience to create the Parabottle – a plastic “pod” fitted with a parachute in its lid that contains water, food, a foil blanket and other essential First Aid.

Parabottle aims to air-drop tens of thousands of emergency survival pods into isolated international disaster areas within 24 hours of a natural or manmade crisis.
A Parabottle prototype is now under development, with preliminary testing taking place from 2012.

Parabottle is a registered charity in England and Wales no. 1139872

Hosted by emergency aid charity Parabottle the fundraising event, which will take place at St Olaves Hotel in Exeter, promises a testing ten-round quiz to crown the city’s Brainiest Business.

Among the teams competing for the title are Exeter-based Michelmores Solicitors Frobishers Juices and the Express and Echo as well as PriceWaterhouseCoopers’s Bristol Deal Team.

Parabottle are currently developing a functional prototype with Cardiff based Airbourne Systems who are due to begin testing the preliminary parachute mechanisms next month in the Arizona desert.

Parabottle founder Nick Sprague said: “We are delighted that so many of our local businesses are supporting our fundraising efforts at this crucial stage of development”.

“I would also like to thank St Olaves Hotel for their generosity in providing a top class venue for the evening, as well Matthew Bambery from PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Bristol for preparing the challenging quiz to crown Exeter’s Brainiest Business”.

The charity hope to raise over £2,500 at tonight’s event towards the continued prototype development into 2012.
For more information on Parabottle or to donate please visit www.parabottle.org.uk

The 30 strong congregation modelled mini Parabottles from plastic and string to replicate the emergency aid pods which are being developed to parachute basic, yet essential, supplies into disaster zones worldwide.

Bridget Boxall, an organiser of the service said: “This year’s service focused on giving thanks for water which we very often take for granted in daily life. The Parabottle concept was an excellent way of illustrating just how vital water can be. We have donated the proceeds from the event to the Parabottle charity to support their efforts in providing water and emergency aid those most in need”.

Parabottle’s Nick Sprague said: “I am really heartened and extremely grateful that the community in Poltimore have given their support to Parabottle and recognised its incredible potential. After the Haiti earthquake I was struck by how vital it is to get the right kind of aid into a disaster zone within the first 24 hours of a disaster due to the threat of dehydration and disease.”

Nick Sprague added: “We would encourage other community groups in Exeter to get involved in any way they can to ensure that we can turn the Parabottle concept into reality as soon as possible.”

A Parabottle prototype is currently being developed by Airborne Systems and Gwalia Packaging, both based in South Wales.

For more information on Parabottle or to contact one of the team, please visit www.parabottle.org.uk

Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/parabottle ]]> http://www.parabottle.org.uk/poltimore-congregation-raise-over-100-in-support-of-parabottle/feed/ 0 http://www.parabottle.org.uk/hello-world/ http://www.parabottle.org.uk/hello-world/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:00:48 +0000 optixsolutions http://development/parabottle/blog/?p=1 Parabottle, a new West Country charity that aims to deploy tens of thousands of personal emergency First Aid pods by parachute following international disasters, has been chosen as the beneficiary of this summer’s PwC West Region Deal Team Charity Quiz.

The event is taking place at 7:00pm on Thursday 7th July 2011 at The Slug and Lettuce in Bristol and is expected to be another sell-out, with over twenty-five different firms from the local marketplace having already confirmed their places.

Each Parabottle is a personal survival pod which will contain water, food, matches and a foil blanket. Each pod is fitted with a parachute mechanism to enable thousands to be safely dropped from an aircraft soon after a disaster and before comprehensive aid arrives.

The initial fund-raising target has been set at £30,000 which will pay for the development of a prototype, being designed by the Cardiff-based Airborne Systems. The first Parabottles will be tested in the Arizona desert in October this year.

Parabottle founder is Exeter businessman Nick Sprague who was motivated to develop this new emergency aid initiative after the devastating Haiti earthquake in 2010 which left the country’s arterial roads and airstrips so badly damaged that significant areas were isolated for a staggering eight days, making it impossible for conventional aid to be distributed.

Frustrated by the situation in Haiti and the human suffering involved, Nick drew on his early experience in the military and his current experience in the fruit ingredients packaging industry to create the Parabottle concept. He said: “The first 48 hours after any disaster are crucial and Parabottle is designed to provide the First Aid needed before the aid agencies arrive with more comprehensive assistance. Parabottle seemed to be such an obvious solution, I was actually surprised it didn’t exist already.”

Nick added: “As a new charity with sky-high ambitions, we are honoured to be chosen as the beneficiary for this summer’s PwC charity quiz, the proceeds of which will go directly towards our current fundraising target to develop the prototype”.

The popular PwC quiz, now in its fourth year welcomes teams from the local corporate finance community including law firms, banks and Private Equity houses.

Matthew Bambery from PwC’s local Deal Team who is organising the event said: “Twice a year, members of our regional Deal Team and the wider business community come together to have some fun and raise money for a chosen charity. This time we have chosen Parabottle as the recipient of the evening’s proceeds and we are hoping to beat the impressive total of £9,330 raised at the last quiz in January. If successful, we will have raised over£47,000 for local charitable causes over the past four years.”

For more information on the PwC West Region Deal Team Charity Quiz or to book a table for the event, please contact Matthew Bambery on 0117 923 4138. The entry fee for July’s event is £150 per team of five people.

Donations can be made via www.parabottle.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• For more information please contact Olivia Jones on 01392 466733 or email: olivia.jones@korcommunications.co.uk
• Photographs are available of Nick Sprague from Parabottle if required.