He dressed as a squirrel. He flung himself out of a plane. And he ran two marathons.
In 2019 Greg Morrison undertook 12 challenges in 12 months to raise money for the Jersey Employment Trust – and he successfully raised more than £4,000, enough to buy a small van for Acorn Enterprises.
He fought pain, injury and nerves to achieve all the challenges, including abseiling and a Christmas Day swim, but the worst, he says, was the boredom of running a half-marathon on a treadmill at Acorn Reuse in Trinity one Saturday in November.
“It was terrible,” he said. “It seemed to go on for ever. It was very difficult trying to get the mind distracted to get me through. It was worth it, but not to be done again!”
His favourite challenge, however, was the skydive, so much that he did it again a couple of months later.
“It’s something I’d never done before, and I loved the sheer adrenaline rush,’ said Greg, who is construction director at ROK. ‘It was a great way to see the island.”
Acorn, which provides work and training opportunities for people with a disability or long-term health condition, will now buy a small van. General manager Steve Pearce said that it was needed for collections and deliveries, particularly in areas of Jersey where their larger vehicles are too big. “The new van will have several uses and it will be put to good use,” Steve said. “This will be good for smaller loads and will be better for some of the island’s smaller lanes.
“We are very grateful for Greg’s continuing support and his enthusiasm, for raising funds as well as awareness about what we do.”
Now that he has the bug, Greg said that he wants to carry on fundraising for the charity as he has had personal experience of their work in securing placements for clients.
“It’s a case of ‘mission accomplished’ for the 12 Challenges, but I am driven by this organisation, everything it stands for and everything it does for its clients,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it before and I think the more we do and the more we raise to make sure that these facilities at Acorn thrive can only be a good thing.
“And how I feel about that will never change, I don’t think. It struck a chord with me several years ago and it doesn’t leave me. I just want to carry on helping.
“I’d like to thank everyone who donated and supported, especially in the cold, wind and rain. I want to carry on and I am open to ideas… Famous last words!”
