I was given community service - but I've used it to raise £16,200 to help the homeless
When Preston businessman Pete Marquis was sentenced for environmental offences earlier this year, he saw it as an opportunity to do good.
Pete and his company PDM Industries Ltd, were sentenced in September at Preston Magistrates' Court over unlawful waste disposal and an illegal asbestos site. PDM Industries were handed fines and costs totalling £60,046 and Mr Marquis received a 42-week prison sentence (suspended for 18 months) and 200 hours of unpaid community work for his involvement in the offences.
For the community service, Pete was sent to work in the warehouse at the charity Shelter, which helps the homeless. He said: “When I went down, I saw what they were doing and it was fantastic. I thought I could help, beyond the community service. I’ve raised a few quid before and I thought this would be a way of getting something good out of a bad thing.”
Pete managed to get his friends, colleagues and industry contacts to sponsor 100 of the 200 hours of community service, eventually reaching a total of £16,200, which was presented to Shelter this week.
£1million for charity
Pete said: “It will make a massive difference to Shelter and I’m glad to have helped. This isn’t about glory for me - I’ve done fundraising before - infact we hit a milestone in July of £1million for charity in the last 20 years.”
Pete’s fundraising began in 2004 when his company raised £4,400 for the Melanie’s Magic Wand Appeal, a campaign launched by the Lancashire Post to raise money for revolutionary hospital equipment to tackle brain tumours in memory of 12-year-old Melanie Grant.
He has gone on to throw charity balls and barbeques - sometimes raising £200,000 in one night - and every December, donates moe than 2,000 advent calendars to children across 15 local schools.
Pete added: “I’ve just always liked doing it. We make a couple of quid, and it’s nice to do something nice.”
Cheeky calls have been made on Pete’s social media channels for the Environment Agency to match his charity donation.