International property and construction consultancy, Gleeds, is pleased to announce the success of its Rugby Legends Charity Dinner, held last night at the Leicester Tigers Stadium. The event raised in excess of £35,000 for the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT) and was attended by three-time Rugby World Cup player, Rory Underwood and Rugby World Cup winning captain, Martin Johnson, who offered insights into their achievements within the sport, with a guest appearance by former England player, Matt Poole.

Monies raised from the sale of around 460 tickets and proceeds from an exclusive auction will go to the JHMT, which was set up to raise awareness of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) following the tragic and unexpected death of 14 year old Joe Humphries, who died without warning whilst out jogging with a friend. Statistics show that individuals who suffer from a cardiac arrest have a 71% chance of survival if an AED is used within 1-2 minutes compared to the current 10%.

Martin Johnson, patron of the JHMT, said: "I'm proud to support the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust. Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome is something that every parent should be aware of. In their sad loss of Joe, the Humphries family have found amazing strength in launching this Trust in his memory."

The event is just one in a series taking place as part of the Gleeds Global Challenge, an initiative which sees staff raising money for a variety of causes to mark the firm's 130^th year in business. So far, teams from the 56 global offices have already exceeded their target of raising a staggering £130,000 in one week, with the current total standing at over £170,000 and benefiting over 81 different charities around the world.

Jon Enever, Gleeds main board director based in Nottingham, went on to say; "I am exceptionally proud of the amount of money raised by Gleeds to date under the Global Challenge banner and I am particularly pleased that in doing so we have been able to make a difference to local charities like the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust. Thank you to everyone who donated and to the rugby stars for lending their support on the evening."

Rory Underwood added: "Thanks go to Gleeds for putting on this event and for a great evening. I am in awe of the strength of Joe's family and was absolutely delighted to see so many people digging deep to raise funds and awareness for this fantastic cause."

The event was attended by many of the key players in the construction and property industry within the Leicester and wider Midlands area, including contractor and main sponsors, Willmott Dixon.

David Ford, business development manager at Willmott Dixon said: "Willmott Dixon has worked very closely with Gleeds on a number of high profile schemes that enhance local communities in Leicester and beyond and we are proud to be supporting the Gleeds Global Challenge through our sponsorship of this charity dinner. The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust is a very worthy organisation and we hope the evening was fruitful for the charity."