Member Article

£22,000 donation by logistics firm

In memory of a valued colleague Graham Dezelsky, who was Head of Operations at Europa Warehouse, in Corby has raised £22,000 for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Graham had worked at Europa for 11 years (originally at the company’s Northampton site) and he was a key member of the team, with responsibility for opening the £60m Corby facility in 2020. Graham sadly died in 2021, within weeks of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Europa Warehouse is a division of Europa Worldwide Group which has 16 sites across the UK with a team of 300 based at Midlands Logistics Park in Corby. The 715,000 sq ft 3pl super facility was completed in the middle of Covid.

Graham’s colleagues were devastated by the loss and wanted to pay a fitting tribute by fund raising in his honour. In total, across all sites and with numerous events, the Europa team raised £11,000, with Europa Worldwide Group generously match funding to take the total to £22,000.

Customers, staff, and suppliers donated generously for the cause with help and guidance from Pancreatic Cancer UK. The charity is seeking to tackle this devastating disease by investing in ground-breaking research and supporting patients and loved ones by providing a free-phone Support Line, staffed by specialist nurses. Pancreatic cancer survival has barely improved in 50 years and tragically, more than half of people will lose their lives to the disease within three months of diagnosis.

Sally Watson, Head of Sales at Europa Warehouse, with colleagues Sonal Patel and Sarah Cox led the fundraising efforts, garnering support from staff throughout the firm. Sally comments “We all miss Graham hugely and feel this is a fitting tribute to our much-loved colleague.”

The entirety of Europa Worldwide Group felt Graham’s loss.

Andrew Baxter, Chief Executive at Europa Worldwide Group had worked closely with Graham for the past nine years and adds: “We were all devastated to lose such a hugely valued member of our team. Good humoured, dedicated, straightforward and incredibly personable, he is greatly missed by us all. We’d like to thank everyone who donated to achieve this amazing amount and we’re delighted that Europa was able to match-fund the project.”

Sherie Holding, Director of People and Culture at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to everyone at Europa Worldwide Group for their support.

“In coming together as a team in Graham’s memory, they have helped ensure that we can be here for everyone affected by pancreatic cancer and can continue investing in world-class research. The money they have raised will take us a step closer to making early diagnosis and better, more effective treatments a reality for future patients and their loved ones.”

Europa Worldwide Group is an ambitious independent logistics operator with five divisions – Europa Road, Europa Air & Sea, Europa Warehouse, Europa Contact Centre and Continental Cargo Carriers. Europa was featured in The Sunday Times Top Track 250 for the third time and employs over 1,100 across the UK and Hong Kong.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kathryn Greenwood .