Category: Corporate

A bumper sum of £13,533 raised in the Corporate Challenge run by East Cheshire Hospice will help fund the Hospice’s bereavement services.

Firms had to raise as much as possible from a £100 start-up loan during May.

The proceeds will provide much-needed support to expand a bereavement service in greater demand because of Covid-19.

Corporate Fundraiser Chrissie Hunter said: “It’s been a tough 18 months for businesses so to raise such an impressive amount is incredible.

“We want to thank everyone for their ideas and efforts to make it happen, including those who generously supported fundraising initiatives.”

Clear winners of the fun competition were Kuehne+Nagel with £6,008, while the prize for the most creative team went to Equilibrium Financial Planning with a nine million step challenge from Manchester to the Equator.

Raffles and wine tasting also contributed towards their donation of £2,621. Not far behind were recruitment firm Leap 29 with ideas including a doggy day care and a three peaks challenge.

Highlights for Spirit Medical Communications included a movie quiz and Eurovision sweepstake.

Chess ICT filled tubes of Smarties with coins as part of their commitment, while staff at Pan European Networks ran a 5k and held a bingo lunch hour in their month of fundraising.

 

Chrissie Hunter, Corporate Fundraiser at East Cheshire Hospice.

Friends and colleagues of Neil Robinson raised a toast to his memory with a drop of gin, his favourite tipple.

Drink and cakes were sold by colleagues at global logistics company Kuehne+Nagel where Air Logistics Commercial Director Neil spent his entire career.

It was part of a fundraising challenge, which raised £6,008 in just one month for East Cheshire Hospice where Neil, from Macclesfield, died of cancer in 2019, aged 53.

 

Neil Robinson with his favourite drink of gin.

 

Former team-mates at Bollington Cricket Club, family and friends, plus Hospice staff placed online orders to support the venture.

Close friend Gareth Prosser, National Operational Care Manager in the same section, organised Kuehne+Nagel’s involvement in a Corporate Challenge run by the Hospice.

Gareth said: “Neil was universally loved by colleagues up and down the country and had a positive impact on everyone he met.

“His family were delighted that we remembered him this way. They’re a very close family and every minute at the Hospice was precious for them, allowing them to make the most of that time together.

“As soon as Neil’s name is attached to a fundraising event everyone jumps on it, especially when it means all they have to do is eat, drink, be merry and reminisce!

“His favourite drink was gin so we ordered bottles with a bespoke flavour from Inspirited Gin, and then decided to add beer and cakes to the offering to appeal to all tastes.

“Inspirited kindly gave us discount on the gin, postage and also matched the profit from the gin, a donation worth about £600.

“Brewhouse and Kitchen gave a reduced rate for beer, while Biscotti Box supplied boxes of brownies and blondies.”

Over 75 bottles of gin were sold, along with 100 boxes of brownies and 50 kegs of beer with orders coming from as far south as Cornwall and as north as Scotland.”

A signed limited edition vinyl record donated by Manchester band The Slow Readers Club also raised £200 in a raffle.

The Hospice was invited to address almost 200 colleagues at a Kuehne+Nagel drop-in virtual meeting.

Hospice representatives spoke about the care it provides free of charge to patients in the community with life-limiting illnesses.

The meeting was attended by Kuehne+Nagel’s Managing Director Brian Cox who fully supported the fundraising activity and helped take the total to more than £6,000.

 

Kuehne+Nagel staff (from left) Gareth Prosser, Matthew Barton, Tim Webb and Matthew Brett.

The new corporate fundraiser at East Cheshire Hospice is Chrissie Hunter who joined the charity sector 13 years ago after quitting the banking world.

She replaces Kate Bowmar who is leaving after three years in the job to start an NHS management career.

Chrissie is excited by the challenge of working with the Cheshire business community to raise funds for the Hospice.

She said: “I’ve got some big shoes to fill, but I’m very much looking forward to it and getting out and meeting people in the area.

“It’s about being out there in front of people more than anything else and helping to grow the reputation of the Hospice within the area as a corporate partner.

“Corporate fundraising is imperative for a charity. The business sector is a big pool which means there’s a lot of people to talk to. You can be talking to a boss of somewhere and all of a sudden they have 500 staff who’re involved.

“The Hospice is a fantastic facility and one of the things that stands out for me is that it’s not based on any specific life-limiting condition. It’s here for everyone in the community who needs it.”

Chrissie, whose son Seb was born in Macclesfield, changed careers after visiting a hospice during her job in commercial banking with RBS.

She said: “I looked after businesses which turned over £1m to £25m and, like everybody else, was blinkered thinking it was a job for life.

“I did a tour of a local children’s hospice because they wanted corporate fundraising and in my banking bubble didn’t even realise these places existed.

“It changed my life. I walked out and thought I was in the wrong job.

“I hounded until I was given a job as a corporate fundraiser and have been working in fundraising ever since.”

Apart from the hospice sector, Chrissie also worked at a centre for children with special needs and a domestic abuse charity.

Kate said: “I’ve loved fundraising for the hospice – it’s been amazing. I didn’t think I’d be going into an NHS management career, but the opportunity came up and I couldn’t really say no.

“I want to thank everyone from the business community who supports the Hospice. Corporate fundraising brings in significant sums of revenue and we’ve excellent relationships with the local community.”

Kate Bowmar (left) and Chrissie Hunter who is the new corporate fundraiser at East Cheshire Hospice.

AstraZeneca and its employees made a donation of more than £21,000 to East Cheshire Hospice last year.

A total of £12,080 was raised from various fundraising initiatives, including a drive-in cinema on the AZ Campus car park on Charter Way.

The company added a further £9,075, providing a welcome bonus for the charity which endured a tough financial year due to Covid-19.

The cinema experience raised £1,200, while a running challenge between AZ staff in Macclesfield and colleagues in Sweden contributed a similar amount.

AZ also matched donations by staff for 2020 Christmas tree collection, the Hospice’s Now More than Ever Appeal and a Christmas jumper day.

Staff also sold key rings and mask adaptors in aid of the charity, while Sodexo catering staff at AZ made regular cake donations and provided advent calendars.

Kate Bowmar, the Hospice’s Corporate Fundraiser, said: “We can’t thank AstraZeneca enough for their amazing support once again in 2020. It’s been a tough last 12 months for the Hospice and the enthusiasm and commitment shown by AZ is so heart warming, especially in these difficult times.”

Guy Camm,  AZ’s Macclesfield Campus FM Development Manager, said: “We’re proud of our long-standing partnership with the Hospice and, of course, our staff who rallied to the cause in fantastic style in 2020.

“I’m sure that dedication will continue in 2021 through our support for several local charities, including the Hospice.”

Sodexo employees Tim Stevens and Dawn Walsh delivering advent calendars to the Hospice.

East Cheshire Hospice celebrated another successful Will Week campaign despite Covid restrictions.

£8,687 was raised thanks to the support of legal firms which donated time and expertise to help the Hospice.

Participants included GPW Trusts, which is now operating at Church Street, Macclesfield, and will be able to see clients there after the latest lockdown ends.

Other firms taking part in October’s Will Week were Poole Alcock, Spall Clark, Dunkerleys LLP, Stratford Solicitors and Alfred Newton.

Kate Bowmar, the charity’s Corporate Fundraiser, said: “Will Week is an important fundraising initiative for the Hospice, especially at the moment. The campaign raises vital funds and makes our supporters consider leaving a legacy gift in their Will to the Hospice.

“It wouldn’t be a success without the goodwill and generosity of our local solicitors and the public, so we thank everyone who supported the campaign.”

The next Hospice Will Week (Oct 4-8) will be the 10th year of the initiative.

Gavin Prideaux-Williams, Estate Planning Consultant at GPW Trusts.