Last Friday, we had a special guest at our offices in Southend. Our local MP, Sir James Duddridge KCMG, visited us to meet the team and work a shift for charity alongside them, raising funds for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
As part of Sir James’ ongoing campaign to support Southend RNLI, InsureandGo donated £1,600 to his London Marathon fundraiser.
The marathon in April will be Sir James’ fifth time taking part in the iconic 26.2 miles run. To date, he has raised over £9,000 for local charities such as Havens Hospices, HARP and Southend Samaritans, and national charities such as The Rose Patterson Trust and Diabetes UK.
We’re always happy to help charities, and our team supported Sir James’ fundraising efforts, including hosting a team raffle. One of the prizes was a personal tour of the Southend RNLI lifeboat inshore station, while another included a bottle of wine signed by former PM Boris Johnson!
Sir James noted how important it was to have a large company providing jobs in the area, especially as we are looking to hire an additional 60 roles in the coming six months, as we continue to grow. He was also impressed with our ongoing efforts to help the environment. InsureandGo have several local green and charity projects planned, including teaming up with Make Southend Sparkle to lend a hand with the Beach Clean in June this year.
While meeting our team and trying his hand on the phones, Sir James also answered some questions about his fundraising, travel and InsureandGo.
Q – Why is the RNLI so important to you?
As a sailor and a swimmer, I appreciate just how dangerous the Thames can be as a tidal river. The Southend RNLI Station is the busiest all volunteer coastal station and does fantastic work saving those who fall into distress while out at sea.
Q – Any tips for anyone looking to run their first marathon?
I would advise following the training plan all the way through and not going out too fast when you start – you have to make it through all 26.2 miles!
Q – Would you ever do a marathon in fancy dress? If so, what would you like to dress up as?
Yes – I would like to run in a rhino costume, however, they are pretty heavy, so my time may not be that good!
Q – Where is your favourite place in the world?
My favourite place in the world is Eswatini, formally known as Swaziland, where I met my wife.
Q – Where is your dream destination?
Maun in Botswana is a place to start visiting the Okavango Delta.
Q – How have you enjoyed your day at InsureandGo? Any highlights?
It was a pleasure to meet and join the team at InsureandGo, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Southend office. Much like casework, I certainly appreciate how no two calls are ever the same when dealing with travel insurance!
Q – How important is it to the city to have a big company like InsureandGo based here?
Having InsureandGo here in Southend brings brilliant opportunities to the city, from getting people into the High Street to providing good quality employment opportunities for local residents; we should be doing more to attract firms like InsureandGo to our city.
Q – What most impressed you about InsureandGo during your visit?
I was impressed by InsureandGo’s commitment to the local community with ambitious local initiatives, from planned beach cleans and fundraising for good local causes. I hope other companies follow InsureandGo’s dedication to the City of Southend.
Everyone on our team had a great time during Sir James’ visit. If you’d like to help the RNLI, then please donate whatever you can spare via his JustGiving campaign.