MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

In what has been one of the most unusual challenges ever undertaken for 40tude, in early June a team of six successfully crossed from the southern tip (Sumburgh Head) to the northern tip (Muckle Flugga) of the Shetland Isles on Brompton bikes and inflatable kayaks.  

Why did they take this on? They want to draw everyone’s attention to bowel cancer and the crucial importance of screening to catch any bowel cancer early: through poo tests (FIT), colonoscopy or accredited CT colonography.

This extraordinary challenge was the brainchild of Brompton’s CEO, Will Butler-Adams. Renowned for its ingenious folding bikes, Brompton is now blazing a trail also in enabling its staff to get screened for colon (bowel) cancer.  This event marks the launch of its innovative initiative to offer Enhanced FIT screening tests to its employees over 40, the age from which heightened awareness of colon cancer is essential. Take a look at this short reel for more.  

Ever pioneering, Brompton intends to be the exemplar for other companies to follow their initiative, to ensure more people get tested for this type of cancer, which can be prevented through regular screening.  If you and your company have been inspired by Brompton’s impressive initiative please get in touch.

Meanwhile the Muckle Flugga challenge might have been planned for the summer month of June, but crossing stretches of the North Atlantic of up to four kilometres in inflatable kayaks (with their Brompton bikes on board!) between the isles was no mean feat for our brave team.  In this remote setting some 150 miles north of John O'Groats they overcame wind, waves and tide as they steered their pack rafts across the strong currents of the Yell Sound. 

Thank you to everyone who has made a donation in support of our adventurers this week.  If you’d like to congratulate the team there’s so there’s still time to donate via the red 'Donate' button above.  The monies they raise will enable 40tude to fund a 10% expansion in the UK’s bowel screening capacity, an incredible gift for this challenge to deliver.

Thank you, your support means a great deal!  A huge well done to Will, Fraser, Sarah, Nick, Hamish and Gordon for taking on this remarkable challenge in support of 40tude and the mission to cure colon cancer. 

Enjoy more photos of our intrepid six in action in our Muckle Flugga blog

The remarkable Muckle Flugga team:

Will Butler-Adams OBE

Will joined Brompton in 2002, became director in 2006, and took over as MD in 2008 and in this time helped grow the company from £2.5m turnover with 37 staff to £107m turnover with over 800 staff.

He is a Chartered Engineer, passionate about all things engineering, having previously worked for DuPoint, Nissan and ICI. Will is married with three daughters and lives near Marlow. Was awarded an OBE by the Queen in 2015 for services to Industry. He is interested in education, a Fellow of the City and Guilds institute, a visiting lecturer at Imperial College, was Chair of The Vibrant Economy Commission, was a founding trustee of Inspiring the Future charity and on the board of Investors in People supporting its transition out of government into an independent Community Interest Company. He is a Fellow of Institute of Mechanical Engineers, a Fellow the Royal Geographical Society, Member of the Vintners company and keen on his veggie patch.

Gordon Moore

Gordon is the founder of 40tude. 

Gordon’s father died of colon (bowel) cancer at the age of 40.  Thirty years on and with colon cancer still the 2nd biggest cancer killer in the UK (despite being the most easy to treat if diagnosed early), Gordon was compelled to do something about it.

Fraser T Smith

Fraser T Smith is a multi – award winning, internationally acclaimed artist, producer, song writer and musician and one of the most in demand creators in contemporary music today. He has co-written, produced and mixed 18 Number One albums, 7 Number One UK singles, 2 Number One US singles. Having spent most of his career producing and song writing with and for some of the biggest artists in the world (Adele, Sam Smith, Stormzy, Florence and the Machine, Celine Dion, Gorillaz, Dave and more) he has most recently released his own debut album, ’12 Questions’ featuring names such as Idris Elba, Stormzy, Es Devlin, Dave, Easy Life and the Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage under the moniker, Future Utopia, as well as his current single, ‘We Were We Still Are’ featuring Kae Tempest.

Fraser has been Grammy nominated three times, winning ‘Best Album’ with Adele for, ‘21’ in 2012 for their collaboration on, ‘Set Fire To The Rain’. He has been the recipient of the Ivor Novello Award three times, as well as two Brit Awards for ‘Best Album’. In February 2023, the Music Producer’s Guild announced that Smith is to be honoured with an award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to UK Music’.

Fraser and his wife, Sarah are Founders and Directors of 70Hz Recordings and 70Hz Publishing, along with their music production company, My Audiotonic Productions – a record label providing emerging talent with a creative and commercial platform and the ability to innovate and navigate the ever changing musical landscape.

Sarah Thorneycroft-Smith

Sarah is the Director of 70Hz Publishing and 70Hz Recordings, as well as MyAudiotonic Productions Ltd.

Sarah has worked in the music industry for 15 years, managing various songwriters, producers and artists, notably her husband, Grammy and Ivor Novello award winning artist and producer, Fraser T Smith. She has been involved in numerous international campaigns on behalf of her roster, including works by Celine Dion, Adele, Stormzy, Britney Spears, Sam Smith, James Morrison and many more.

Along with her husband, Sarah founded 70Hz Recordings and Publishing, a creative hub with the aim to sign, mentor and support talent in song writing, production and recording. In 2020, they signed a joint publishing venture with Warner Chappell and have most recently agreed a distribution deal with The Orchard via Sony Music.

Hamish Stevenson

Hamish was the founder and CEO for 25 years of Fast Track which published its rankings in the Sunday Times of Britain's top private companies, including Brompton and Charles Tyrwhitt; and is an associate fellow at Oxford.

Nick Wheeler OBE

Nicholas Charles Tyrwhitt Wheeler founded Charles Tyrwhitt Shirts in 1986, while studying geography at Bristol University. After two years with consultancy Bain & Co, he went 'full time' in November 1989. Charles Tyrwhitt sells men's clothing online and in retail stores globally. Nick is also a non-executive director of The White Company, a mail order and retail company selling household goods. He is married to Founder Chrissie Rucker and they have four children.

Fashion show!

Crossing the Yell Sound - 4km on pack rafts