Gallagher Premiership rugby players Callum Sheedy, Harry Randall and Ioan Lloyd have stepped forward to help support South West-based model railway manufacturer, PECO and boost its national exposure following a difficult year that saw livelihoods threatened by a cyber-attack and COVID-induced factory closures.

To raise awareness of PECO’s unique expertise and encourage engagement with the business, the trio of Bristol Bears stars took part in a light-hearted challenge using PECO products, which was set up by insurance broker Gallagher and hosted by former England star and Gallagher ambassador Ugo Monye.

Callum, Harry and Ioan each sat in the hot seat to take part in Gallagher and PECO’s own version of spot the difference, ‘Trainspotting’. The stars were shown a video of two trains travelling around one of their model railway layouts, based within the company’s tourism attraction Pecorama, and had 20 seconds against each other to buzz in and tell Ugo the number of differences they spotted, with Callum and Ioan’s eagle-eyed vision leading them to victory.

The ‘Trainspotting’ session was organised as part of Gallagher’s UK-wide ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ initiative, which has seen the insurance broker bring to life the recent stories of six UK businesses and a regional children’s charity. In recognition of its resilience, tenacity and pioneering spirit during the COVID-19 pandemic, PECO has been paired with both Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby, as Gallagher aims to give them a boost in exposure through its partnership with Premiership Rugby.

The family company, which started trading in 1946 and is now in its third generation, faced a particularly challenging 2020, with its factory forced to close for five weeks during the first lockdown and then targeted by a cyber-attack. Despite these challenges, the popular model railway manufacturer got back up and running and, with Gallagher’s help, has managed to fully recover, with rising demand for its products almost outstripping its ability to manufacture and supply them.

Callum Sheedy, Bristol Bears Fly-half, commented:

“Gallagher and PECO’s Trainspotting game was great fun to do after training with Harry and Ioan; I always was the king of Spot The Difference growing up!

“With all the pressures and challenges brought about by the pandemic, it’s important that we as a club and our rugby community support local businesses like PECO, which have shown great resolve and resilience through these really difficult times.

“We look forward to seeing PECO at a game soon and hopefully we can get a few of their models at the training ground too.”

Ben Arnold, PECO Managing Director, commented:

“For a whole host of businesses across the UK it has been an incredibly turbulent time and for PECO this was no different. Having to shut our factory for five weeks caused significant issues for us and this was further exacerbated by the cyber-attack we had to navigate. Fortunately, we have managed to bounce back and are grateful for the support and risk expertise Gallagher has provided us with throughout the pandemic. The ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ initiative is enabling us to gain some great exposure through association with Gallagher Premiership table toppers Bristol and Gloucester Rugby, with the Trainspotting session a real highlight.”

Patrick O’Connell, regional managing director, South West, for Gallagher, commented:

“As a local insurance broker, Gallagher is doing everything possible to support UK businesses and charities during these trying times. Our work with PECO is an example of how we can help organisations proactively manage and mitigate the ever-changing risks they face as the repercussions of the pandemic continue to provide challenges to businesses across the spectrum of size, type and location.

“PECO has shown incredible spirit during this time and for the firm to bounce back and hit high levels of demand following a period of great difficulty is great to see.”

As one of the businesses selected to benefit from the ‘Tackling Tomorrow Together’ initiative, PECO will be gifted free promotion on a match day at Bristol Bears and Gloucester Rugby through in-stadia and programme advertising. PECO staff will also have the chance to attend a game to support Callum, Harry and Ioan from the stands.

In addition to the rugby-related package, Gallagher will continue to offer specialist business advice and support to the organisation. Visit ajg.com/tackling-tomorrow-together for more information on this initiative and Gallagher’s commitment as a local insurance broker to the UK business community, and https://peco-uk.com/ to find out more about PECO and its railway modelling business.

The full list of businesses involved in Gallagher’s Tackling Tomorrow Together initiative are:

• EcoHydra Technologies (supported by Harlequins and London Irish)
• Children's Hospice South West (supported by Bath Rugby & Exeter Chiefs)
• Made in the Midlands (supported by Worcester Warriors and Wasps RFC)
• Wynsors World of Shoes (supported by Sale Sharks)
• Ensafe Consultants (supported by Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers)
• PECO (supported by Bristol Bears & Gloucester Rugby)
• Dunes (supported by Newcastle Falcons)