Table topping Bristol Bears stars Callum Sheedy, Harry Randall and Ioan Lloyd played a fun ‘Trainspotting’ version of the classic spot the difference game which was hosted by former England star and Gallagher ambassador Ugo Monye and which used model railway products from local business PECO which endured a challenging 2020 with its factory forced to close for five weeks during the first lockdown and then suffered a cyber-attack.
The initiative supporting the local model railway company was a fresh strand of Premiership Rugby title partner and insurance broker Gallagher’s UK-wide, season-long ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ activation: which champions six local businesses and a charity in recognition of their resilience, tenacity and pioneering spirit during the COVID-19 pandemic and brings to life the stories through Gallagher’s sponsorship assets and own channels.
The stars were shown a video of two trains travelling around one of their model railway layouts, based within the company’s tourism attraction Pecorama, and had 20 seconds against each other to buzz in and tell Ugo the number of differences they spotted, with Callum and Ioan’s eagle-eyed vision leading them to victory.
The activation not only offered local businesses like PECO Gallagher’s rights to Premiership players, but also included providing it with business advice from Gallagher, as well as free promotion on a match day at Bristol Bears through in-stadia and programme advertising.
PECO is a family-owned company which started trading in 1946 and is now in its third generation, faced a particularly challenging 2020: with its factory forced to close for five weeks during the first lockdown and then targeted by a cyber-attack. Despite these challenges, the popular model railway manufacturer got back up and running and, with Gallagher’s help, has managed to fully recover, with rising demand for its products almost outstripping its ability to manufacture and supply them.
“Gallagher and PECO’s Trainspotting game was great fun to do after training with Harry and Ioan; I always was the king of Spot The Difference growing up,” commented Sheedy. “With all the pressures and challenges brought about by the pandemic, it’s important that we as a club and our rugby community support local businesses like PECO, which have shown great resolve and resilience through these really difficult times. We look forward to seeing PECO at a game soon and hopefully we can get a few of their models at the training ground too.”
PECO managing Director Ben Arnold added: “For a whole host of businesses across the UK it has been an incredibly turbulent time and for PECO this was no different. Having to shut our factory for five weeks caused significant issues for us and this was further exacerbated by the cyber-attack we had to navigate. Fortunately, we have managed to bounce back and are grateful for the support and risk expertise Gallagher has provided us with throughout the pandemic. The ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ initiative is enabling us to gain some great exposure through association with Gallagher Premiership table toppers Bristol and Gloucester Rugby, with the Trainspotting session a real highlight.”
Gallagher South West Regional Managing Director Patrick O’Connell commented: “As a local insurance broker, Gallagher is doing everything possible to support UK businesses and charities during these trying times. Our work with PECO is an example of how we can help organisations proactively manage and mitigate the ever-changing risks they face as the repercussions of the pandemic continue to provide challenges to businesses across the spectrum of size, type and location. PECO has shown incredible spirit during this time and for the firm to bounce back and hit high levels of demand following a period of great difficulty is great to see.”
Comment:
This campaign follows on from March’s ‘Story Time’ activation with the Exeter Chiefs supporting ‘Children’s Hospice South West’.
The other business backed by Gallagher’s ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ initiative are:
> EcoHydra Technologies (supported by Harlequins and London Irish)
> Children’s Hospice South West (supported by Bath Rugby & Exeter Chiefs)
> Made in the Midlands (supported by Worcester Warriors and Wasps RFC)
> Wynsors World of Shoes (supported by Sale Sharks)
> Ensafe Consultants (supported by Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers)
> PECO (supported by Bristol Bears & Gloucester Rugby)
> Dunes (supported by Newcastle Falcons)
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