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Remploy Frontline Helps Charity-Fundraising Yachting Team Sail into First Place

The Journeymaker 5 Team Wins in the Name of Disabled Children across the UK
 
LONDON, 22 August 2008 - Remploy Frontline's Marine Division announced today that the team of the JourneyMaker 5 won this year's Three Peaks Yacht Race.  Remploy Frontline supported the team with a donation of life jackets. The Remploy parent organisation's Chris P Jones, Head of IT for Remploy's Enterprise IS division, skippered the team into first place. 

In addition to sailing in extreme conditions in British waters, the Three Peaks Yacht Race also includes an excruciating endurance footrace.  The JourneyMaker 5 team competed in the Race to raise money for the Bendrigg Trust, which provides enriching activity programmes and facilities for disabled children throughout Great Britain. The JourneyMaker 5 team have supported the Bendrigg Trust since they first started competing in the Race, bringing in over £50,000 since 2006 through a series of fundraising events and the Three Peaks Yacht Race.  The Trust uses various activities to help children overcome their own personal challenges related to their disability.  This coincides perfectly with Remploy and Remploy Frontline's own employment mission, according to Remploy Frontline Global Business Manager John Armstrong.  (Please see "Notes to Editors" section, page two.)

"Two major factors were apparent to us when Chris and the Journeymaker 5 team approached us for support," said Armstrong.  "First, Remploy Frontline develops and manufactures world-class flotation jackets, ideally suited for champions like the Journeymaker 5 and the waters in which they were racing. Second, Chris and his team are helping the UK's many disabled children through enriching life experiences - one of Remploy's precepts for helping disabled adults via employment opportunities."

Remploy Frontline supplied the JourneyMaker 5 team with four "Falcon 275 Twin" life jackets and a "Compact 150" to keep in reserve.  These life jackets were chosen because they are Remploy Frontline's hardest wearing and most durable jackets that can support the wearer in some of the sea's harshest conditions.  The jackets come with an attached hood, emergency light, integrated buddy strap and hoist hook, and highly reflective strips that are a survival advantage to the wearer in extreme weather.*

"We were confident in our skills as experienced sailors and competitors.  But we knew we would need some excellent kit on board to help give us a leading edge," said Jones. "Having a life jacket around me from our sister company, Remploy Frontline, made me feel safe and secure because I know what level of dedicated workmanship and quality went into producing this dependable deep water life jacket.

Despite extreme gale force storms and being older than many competing in the race, JourneyMaker 5 team won the coveted Daily Telegraph Trophy for being first across the line, only 20 minutes ahead of the second team in likely the closest race.

 "We completed the challenge with the second fastest time ever," said Chris P Jones.  "We beat the boat's team with the previous record - and they even brought in two top UK professional ultra-endurance runners this year for the footrace part of the challenge.  We had to work very hard to overtake them four times in the race.  Not bad, though, considering our team average age is over 45; we are all over 40 years of age - that is one up for the 'wrinklies!'"

Jones encourages the public to get involved with the Trust: "As time goes on, there are always new needs for the Trust to keep it going.  The need for more funding to continue to exist so that more disabled children across Britain can have more enriched lives. The Trust gives kids an opportunity to do things and accomplish physical feats that they normally could not.  The trust, like Remploy, helps encourage people with disabilities who are too often told what they cannot do instead of shown what they can do."

- Ends -

Notes to Editors:

* Further product details
Remploy Frontline Ltd +44 (0) 845 241 2990 - www.remploy.co.uk

About Remploy
Remploy was established under the 1944 Disabled Persons (Employment) Act by Ernest Bevin, the then Minister of Labour. Remploy has since developed a highly successful factory network throughout the UK, operating across a diverse range of businesses, including the manufacture of school furniture, motor components and chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological and explosives (CBRNE) personal protection equipment (PPE) for civilian and military organisations around the world. This ranges from protective suits to casualty containment.

Remploy employees are incredibly proud of their success. This is especially true of the powerful message they convey: "Although the workforce is primarily disabled, we have some of the most highly-skilled and motivated manufacturing experts in the world."

Remploy's values are centred on excellence, equality, innovation, integrity, and product quality.  These can be seen in every aspect of what Remploy produces.

About Frontline
Frontline product portfolio includes personal protection equipment, marine and performance textiles, and contaminated casualty remains containment products. 

The Frontline core business model is based on the design, development and manufacture of CBRNE products for civil agencies and military services worldwide.

Remploy is in a unique position to continually assess and evaluate the latest materials from around the world because of its product portfolio that includes market-leading CBRN accessories. 

PRESS CONTACT:            
Stephen Elliott
Elliott & Partners RM
+44 (0) 7919 594 271
stephen@elliottpartners.eu