The John Maxwell Menzies (JMM) Community Fund was originally created by the Menzies family to encourage employees to participate in charitable, voluntary and community related activities either on an individual basis or as part of a team. The fund was delighted to sponsor Jake Ball, Aircraft Refueller at Manchester as he took on his first endurance triathlon to raise money for Head Up.

Jake joined Menzies in April 2022 after leaving the RAF and shared why he chose his charity, “Head up is a veterans and armed forces mental health service that is fundraising to open a retreat with the aim of equipping attendees with the tools to be proactive when dealing with their mental health, these tools include everything from exercise and nutrition to a range of alternative therapies. This resonated with me as I understand the importance of being proactive with your physical health and how it can keep your mental health in a positive space.”

“I retired from rugby last year due to injury and used the Howich triathlon as a way to keep motivated to train regularly. The training went relatively smoothly, I’d never been on a road bike and I am a self-taught swimmer so learning new skills helped keep training from becoming repetitive.

“The event went really well, I clocked around 11 minutes for the 500m pool swim which was faster than expected. The 40km cycle also went a lot better than expected coming in at one hour and 45 minutes. The 9km run included an 800m of ascent up to Rivington Pike, a local landmark on the edge of the Pennine Moors. Fatigue and cramp were a major hindrance and I finished the run in roughly an hour.

“Overall I finished 315th out of almost 500 and I was relatively pleased. I’m looking forward to improving on this next year now I know how triathlons pan out throughout the day. Thank you Menzies for your support!”

Visit Jake’s JustGiving page.

How to apply for sponsorship

• You can apply individually or as a team by scanning the QR code or using this form.

• Once we receive your application, we’ll get in touch if we have any questions or need more information.
• There may be some organisations that we can’t support due to the fund rules or conflicts of interests. You can find the fund rules on the intranet or contact your line manager for a copy. You can also get in touch with: charities@menziesaviation.com for help.