Currys Staff Raise £40,000 for Neonatal Charity After Gladiator Steel’s 13-Day Fitness Challenge

Nov, 29 2025

When Zack George, better known as 'Gladiator Steel' on ITV’s Gladiators, finished his 13-day burpee marathon on September 3, 2025, he didn’t just collapse from exhaustion—he watched as his community’s response shattered its £40,000 fundraising goal. The money, raised in partnership with Currys PLC and its Leicester store, will fund life-saving equipment for newborns at Leicester’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the very place where his son, Leo George, lived for just 13 days before passing away in 2022. What began as a personal tribute became a national movement, fueled by employees, customers, and strangers who showed up—not with donations, but with sweat.

How a Regular Customer Became a Catalyst

It started quietly. Zack and Samantha George, his wife and co-founder of Leo and Friends, were regulars at the Currys store at 114-118 Belvoir Street, Leicester. They’d chat with Dee Parmar, the store’s manager, about TVs, headphones, the usual stuff. But one day, Samantha broke down. She told Dee about Leo. About the silence in the NICU after the monitors stopped beeping. About how they wanted to turn grief into something tangible for other families. Dee Parmar didn’t hesitate. "I’ve been a manager for 17 years," she later told local reporters. "I’ve seen customers come and go. But this? This wasn’t a request. It was a call to arms." Within hours, Currys PLC approved a campaign: 13 stores. 13 days. 13 minutes of movement per session. No pressure. No sales pitch. Just a chance to move—for Leo.

The 13-Day Challenge That Moved a Nation

Zack George, the 2023 World’s Fittest Man, didn’t just do burpees to stay in shape. He did them because they were brutal. Because they mirrored the helplessness he felt holding Leo’s tiny hand while machines kept him alive. Each burpee represented a minute Leo wasn’t given. Currys didn’t ask employees to do burpees. They offered alternatives: running on the spot, press-ups, stair climbs. The goal wasn’t fitness—it was participation. At stores in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and yes, Leicester, colleagues clocked in extra minutes. Some did 13 minutes during lunch. Others stayed late. One team in Manchester completed 13 rounds of 13 minutes each—over 2.5 hours of movement—in full uniform. "We had a 72-year-old customer come in and do 13 minutes of step-ups," said Parmar. "He said his grandson was in NICU last year. He didn’t say anything else. Just nodded and walked out. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just about money." By day 13, the tally hit £40,278. The money wasn’t going to administrative costs. Every pound was earmarked for incubator upgrades, parental sleep pods, and counseling services for families who’d lost a child—or were clinging to hope.

Why This Matters Beyond the Numbers

Leo and Friends isn’t a typical charity. It doesn’t fund research. It doesn’t lobby Parliament. It buys mattresses for parents who sleep on hospital chairs. It pays for parking so families don’t have to choose between groceries and a visit. It hires bereavement midwives who sit with mothers who never got to hold their babies. The Georges’ story isn’t unique. Over 20,000 babies are admitted to UK neonatal units each year. About 1 in 10 don’t make it home. But few families have a platform like Zack’s. Fewer still have a corporate partner willing to turn a fitness challenge into a national moment. "People think charities need big celebrities," said Dr. Eleanor Whitmore, a neonatal nurse at Leicester Royal Infirmary. "But sometimes, it’s the quiet ones—the guy who does burpees on TV, the manager who says yes—that change everything."

What’s Next for Leo and Friends

There’s no official announcement yet about another 13-day challenge. But Currys PLC has pledged ongoing support. "We’re not done," said a spokesperson. "This isn’t a campaign. It’s a commitment." Leo and Friends is now expanding its model to other NICUs in Nottingham, Sheffield, and Leeds. The charity has already secured funding for two new sleep pods at Leicester’s unit—something Zack and Samantha wish they’d had. They’ve also launched a digital library of parent stories, hoping to reduce the isolation so many feel. "Leo didn’t get to grow up," Zack said in a recent interview. "But if his name helps another family sleep through the night, or breathe easier in a hospital corridor? Then he’s still here. And we’re still fighting."

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