Pictured above: Amz Edwards and Fran Winterbourn
Amz Edwards, chef at McCann Erickson Central in Birmingham, has
given his final farewell to a dear friend and colleague, as he
presented a cheque for £1,155 to Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Amz took on the challenge of a 'Long Walk Home' earlier this
month in memory of Neil Rodgers, Group Account Director at McCann
Erickson, who sadly lost his fight with cancer last month.
Walking the 20 miles from McCann Erickson in Shirley to his home
in Great Barr, Birmingham, Amz was joined by colleague Sarah
Phillips and tackled the rain and the cold to raise more than
£1,000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care.
Amz comments: "It was truly an honour to work with such a great
person as Neil. I wanted to give him a final farewell and thought
the best way was to help raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, a
charity that I know meant a lot to him. I'm so pleased I was able
to make this final tribute to Neil; he will be sorely missed by
everyone who knew him."
Dean Lovett, CEO at McCann Erickson who worked with Neil for
over 15 years, said: "Amz had the whole agency behind him for
his 'Long Walk Home' and it's fantastic that he went to such
lengths to raise money in Neil's name for such a worthwhile cause.
We will always treasure the time spent with Neil, and our thoughts
are with his wife Lynda and family at this time."
Fran Winterbourn, Community Fundraiser at Marie Curie Cancer
Care, adds: "I'd like to say a huge thank you to Amz and the rest
of McCann Erickson for all their hard work in raising such a
phenomenal amount. Every little bit really does help, and the money
McCanns has raised has put us that one step closer to providing a
wider range of services for terminally ill people and their
families."
Neil, who was from Wolverhampton, had worked in McCanns'
advertising division since 1997 and, prior to that, at Campaign
Concepts. He specialised in all things automotive, heading up
iconic campaigns for names such as Lotus, Mercedes Benz and HR
Owen. He was a motorsport fanatic and became the resident car
expert at Communications House.