Corby warehouse workers donate £22k to cancer charity in memory of boss

Generous workers at a Corby warehouse have helped to raise a staggering £22,000 in memory of their boss who died of cancer.

Staff at Europa Warehouse in Corby, along with staff at other sites, raised the huge sum for Pancreatic Cancer UK following the death of their Head of Operations Graham Dezelsky.

Graham had worked at Europa for 11 years - originally at the Grange Park site in Northampton - and he was a key member of the team, with responsibility for opening the £60m facility on Corby's Midlands Logistics Park in 2019.

He tragically died in 2020 within weeks of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Workers were devastated by the loss and wanted to pay tribute by fund-raising in his honour. In total, across all sites and events, the Europa team raised £11,000, with Europa Worldwide Group generously match-funding to take the total raised 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 the 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 said: “We all miss Graham hugely and feel this is a fitting tribute to our much-loved colleague.”

Andrew Baxter, Chief Executive at Europa Worldwide Group, had worked closely with Graham for the past nine years.

He said: “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.”