As a new chapter for our fundraising endeavour begins, Vapour is proud to reveal that our 2023 efforts will be focused on Military vs Cancer – which aims to provide relief to cancer patients, their families, and formally-appointed carers across the British Isles.

Grown from the ground up by chairman David Bathgate and administrator Shelley Bathgate, the organisation was born following the passing of five loved ones in the space of two years – a harrowing experience the pair wishes to support others with.

With the full weight of the military – including The Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Armed Forces, and Ministry of Defence Police – bearing down on the world’s cruellest and deadliest disease, there’s no denying the fight will be a worthy one.

And while only registered as an official charity since May 2022, Military vs Cancer certainly packs a punch. Armed with a board of trustees and a growing roster of supporters, the not-for-profit has already tallied a total of £98,000 in donations – with £45,000 of this achieved in the past eight weeks alone.

Although donations were previously split between Macmillan and Cancer Research, emerging plans will see this shared even further afield – including to UK cancer support and information centre, Maggie’s, as well as to individuals within the military.

Talking on the organisation’s ongoing activity, David added: “It’s a long road ahead, but our fundraising figure goes to show what can happen when the military comes together – and our slogan, ‘by sea, land, air and all, together let’s make cancer fall,’ is the ultimate embodiment of this.

“With industry backing from the likes of Vapour, we’re eager to see just how far our efforts can go, in 2023 and beyond. We’re incredibly grateful for the team’s support.”

As well as working together to raise awareness for this worthy cause, Vapour’s mission is to drum up as many donations over the 12-month period as possible – through a combination of charity-supported and company-organised events.

With an autumn ball, kayak around Loch Lomond, and guided tour of HMS Victory on the cards – all thanks to the Military vs Cancer team – it’s exciting to see the events calendar filling up already. And soon, we’ll have plenty of Vapour ideas to add to the mix too – so keep your eyes peeled if you’re keen to be involved!

Commenting on the news, Vapour’s UC cloud engineer and 2023 charity champion, Graeme McCabe, added: “There’s very few people who can say cancer hasn’t had an impact on their life in some way, shape, or form. And with a number of the Vapour team having served in the military previously, or knowing someone who has, it’s an honour to be on board.

“The charity may be young, but it’s certainly ambitious – and their impressive fundraising total is testament to the team’s collective efforts. We can’t wait to get stuck in and share our plans with Vapour colleagues, customers, and friends alike.”

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