Oskar Yasar, an executive at City-based consultancy GCI Focus,
found some novel ways of funding a trip to New York last weekend to run
the New York marathon.
Yasar needed to raise pounds 2,000 to finance the trip and was
ineligible unless he hit the target. With days to spare Yasar was still
pounds 800 short and decided on the unpopular move of taxing fellow
workers to fund his travel.
His initiative was to insist that smokers at the agency put 5p into a
kitty each time they went for a fag break. Yasar tells me: ’It’s amazing
how many smokers are willing to pay pounds 3 for a pack of fags but
can’t find 5p for charity.’
The smoker’s tax raised just pounds 4.55, so with four days to spare
Yasar decided to appeal to the City’s baser instincts. ’I ran around
City wine bars in search of people who reek of money with two glam babes
to keep me company and attract attention.’
This cunning plan helped Yasar reach his target and get to New York.
Unfortunately he had to run the race without his beautiful assistants.
