Category Archives: Charity & CSR

Charity & CSR, News, Property

Staff at Bellway step up to the Snowdon challenge for Cancer Research UK

Staff for a Tamworth-based housebuilder have raised more than £7,000 for Cancer Research UK by completing the Snowdon challenge.

The 17-strong team of Bellway West Midlands staff – who work at the division’s office in Tamworth – hiked up the highest mountain in Wales last month (September), reaching its peak at 1,085 metres above sea level in five hours.

Since 2017, Bellway nationally has raised nearly £1.48 million for Cancer Research UK and has been working hard to help increase awareness across the board at all its divisions.

Due to coronavirus restrictions, the housebuilder has been unable to organise many of its usual fundraising events and has been working hard to find different ways to continue to raise money for the charity.

The Snowdon fundraiser was organised by Charlie Bickley, who is working as a quantity surveyor based at Bellway West Midlands, under the Bellway Graduate Programme.
Charlie, 26, said: “I am working as part of a team of eight graduates nationwide who have been tasked with fundraising for Cancer Research UK.

“We were given a brief to raise £5,000 for the charity and I chose the Snowdon Challenge for the team at Bellway West Midlands, as it was easier to follow Government guidelines on social distancing with an event like this whilst safely raising money for the charity.

“Bellway Wessex also walked Snowdon the same day to raise money for the charity, and so far between us eight graduates we have raised more than £13,000.”

Sales Director for Bellway West Midlands, Marie Richards, said: “We are very proud to be supporting a charity that has made a phenomenal difference to the lives of millions of people.

“The team at Bellway is always ready to rise to the challenge when it comes to important fundraising projects, and we have really enjoyed working together for such a worthwhile cause, which is close to so many of our hearts.”

To help raise money for Cancer Research UK, visit cancerresearchuk.org for more information.

Bellway West Midlands is currently building a variety of new homes across the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Worcestershire, Derbyshire and Shropshire. For more information, visit bellway.co.uk.

For more information on Bellway’s Graduate Programme, visit bellwaycareers.co.uk/graduate-programme.

Charity & CSR, Healthcare, News

International Performance Artists do “Monologues for Lyme”

International Voice Coach Rachel Preece has today launched a unique campaign to raise awareness of Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick in her garden.

Rachel became ill in the summer of 2019 with aching limbs, lack of energy and cognitive issues. She felt so ill she thought she was dying. Despite having the bull’s eye rash her doctor dismissed Lyme disease, due to no prior knowledge of this distinctive mark.

 Struggling to receive treatment, Rachel called Caudwell LymeCo, a charity which provides information and advice for Lyme disease sufferers.

Caudwell LymeCo gave her the information and emotional support needed to procure the correct diagnosis and NHS treatment.

 To say thank you, she’s asked international artists – pop singers, actors, actresses, opera singers, musicians and visual artists, to perform and help raise money for Caudwell LymeCo. 

From October the 28thto November the 28tha wide variety of performances will be shared on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to encourage people to donate for Lyme disease research. This month-long cabaret is called – Monologues For Lyme.Important Lyme Disease information will be shared too.

Performers taking part include TV and film actor Kriss Dillon, singer/songwriter Zara Phillips, West End performer Tamsin Dowsett, actress Helen Percivaland TV and film actor, Mickey Wilson.

Rachel says: 

“I knew from the personal experience of friends how devastating Lyme disease can be. By chance I heard Bunny Guinness speak on BBC Radio 4 about her symptoms and recognised them as my own. With the help, advice and support of Caudwell LymeCo Charity, I was able to procure the necessary antibiotics from a sadly ignorant and unhelpful doctor.Undiagnosed Lyme destroys peoples’ lives every day, because not every doctor knows about it and the NHS test isn’t always accurate. Consequently, it masquerades as a myriad of illnesses that are never cured, as they spread around the body: affecting the brain, the spine, all the joints and the organs.

Caudwell LymeCo helped change the Government guidelines for the better, but the NHS treatments still aren’t good enough for full recoveries. Many, many people are living in chronic pain.

So, I’m doing this to raise money for research that finds better testing and treatments, so that everyone can be diagnosed, treated and cured on the NHS. I’m so grateful for the performers who have agreed to help”.

 Rosie Milsom, Fundraising & Communications Manager at Caudwell LymeCo says: 

“We are so grateful to Rachel for initiating this campaign, which is such a unique way of reaching wider audiences and getting them engaged with Lyme disease. Raising awareness is so important, as early diagnosis is key to a quick recovery. We are glad we that were able to help Rachel in getting the treatment she needed, but unfortunately, we’ve not been able to do that in every case. Thousands of new cases of Lyme are diagnosed in the UK each year, but there are many which go ignored or undetected. And for those who are diagnosed, the standard antibiotic protocol doesn’t always cure them. We need research to find more accurate tests and better treatment, and we are thankful to Rachel and the other performers for helping support this issue.”

Rachel is hoping to raise at least £1,500 via the campaign.   For more on her story and to donate, visit the JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/monologuesforlyme

The Monologues for Lyme social media pages can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/MonologuesForLyme/

https://www.instagram.com/monologuesforlyme/

 

Charity & CSR, Construction, News

Housebuilder backs campaigning aunt for the installation of a new defibrillator

Bellway has donated £620 towards a fundraising campaign to install defibrillators in pubs in Milton Keynes.

Bellway was contacted by Heather McBurnie, 48, who lives in Woburn Sands and plans to fund defibrillators for pubs in the area in memory of her niece, Sarah.

She approached the company as its divisional headquarters is located in Caldecotte and work is currently underway at Bellway’s new Wavendon Chase development in Wavendon.

Heather, who works at New City Heating in Bletchley, said: “I was astounded when I found out how much money Bellway wanted to contribute to my campaign. I had been fundraising for one defibrillator, but this donation enabled me to think about raising enough for two, therefore covering more areas.

“It’s a wonderful thing to see people helping and supporting this cause, as it really helps to reduce the impact of a similar events on the lives of other families.
“A defibrillator could have saved Sarah’s life and it is kind donations towards life-saving equipment that will make such a difference to the lives of local people here.”

Sarah was just 17 when she unexpectedly suffered a heart attack on a bus in 2015. During the 20-minute wait for an ambulance, she suffered brain damage from which she would not recover.

The family live in Havant in Hampshire and Sarah’s parents, Alan and Anna, have already raised cash to fund defibrillators at bus stations in the area. Heather promised to continue the fundraising efforts in her own home town.

Luke Southgate, Sales Director for Bellway Northern Home Counties, said: “When Heather approached us about her fundraising campaign, we were keen to help.

“Sarah’s story is heart-wrenching, especially knowing that a defibrillator could have saved her. It is hard to imagine a better cause than one which directly helps to save lives.

“We wish Heather the best of luck with her ongoing fundraising campaign.”

So far, £1,710 of the increased £2,000 target has been raised. Heather recently kayaked from Sarah’s birthplace in Coventry to Milton Keynes to help bolster the total.

Once the target is achieved, the defibrillators will be installed at The Station Tavern and The Fir Tree Inn in Woburn Sands.

To donate to Heather’s fundraiser, visit http://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/heather-mcburnie-1

Charity & CSR, News

City Hospice open new store in Rhiwbina, Cardiff

Leading Welsh charity City Hospice has opened a new store in the village of Rhiwbina. The store was officially opened by one of their ambassadors, Cardiff Blues and Wales rugby star Ellis Jenkins, and West End star Sophie Evans.

The charity’s new store on Heol y Deri, Rhiwbina features clothing, accessories, crafts and homewares. The City Hospice team plan to be active members of the local community, engaging with their supporters and offering a range of quality items to their customers.

It is hoped that the new store, which has been warmly welcomed by the local community of Rhiwbina, will encourage more people to support the charity and enable them to provide essential palliative care to people living with life limiting and terminal illness throughout Cardiff.

City Hospice is Cardiff’s local hospice, providing nursing and clinical support to people at the end of their lives, as well as essential counselling and support services for the families of their patients. The only provider of home-based specialist palliative care in the capital, City Hospice provides care and compassion to 550 patients at any one time.

Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, City Hospice has continued to deliver patient services to those affected with life limiting illness in the community.

Liz Andrews, Chief Executive, said: “Like many charities, it’s been a difficult time. Our fundraising activities have been significantly reduced, and yet more people in our community need our services. And so we’ve adapted and developed new ways to respond to patient needs and raise funds.

“With this in mind, it is my great pleasure to announce that we have opened our brand new pop-up store in the village of Rhiwbina, in Cardiff. To be able to open a new store during these times is testament to the level of dedication of our staff, volunteers and supporters.”

Charity & CSR, Sport

Football club celebrates 10 years of fundraising success with African prison partnership

A POPULAR community football team celebrating 10 years of fundraising success has netted new partnerships in lockdown – including an African prison’s soccer squad.

The North Wales Dragons refused to let the Coronavirus pandemic stand in the way of their drive to support social change and raise much needed funds for charities and health organisations across the UK.

Made up of players aged 16 to 65 years old, the team came together a decade ago for a charity soccer match and have been together ever since, highlighting the importance of sport and exercise in creating a positive environment.

Co-founder Chris Roberts, from Colwyn Bay, said while 2020 has been “hugely challenging” there have been positives for the Dragons.

“Since the turn of the year we have made huge strides, though of course the COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect,” he said.

“We had visited universities, attended charity events and even had the opportunity to attend Celtic Park in Glasgow, to find out more about how a top-flight football club deals with social conscience.

“The team also played in a match to raise awareness of men’s mental health awareness in Leeds and attended a diversity fashion show in Manchester.”

Chris added: “The lockdown period put an end to our plans to be at more events this year, which is a huge shame, but behind closed doors we have continued to be busy.”

Other progress includes a new collaboration with Bangor University Sports Centre, the creation of the North Wales Dragons Women’s team, and donations to local foodbanks, hospitals and cancer and children’s charities.

They even formed a partnership with Hearts of Ruiru Sports FC, a club with players drawn from a prison and community in Nairobi, Kenya, and will be delivering memory workshops to dementia sufferers when it is safe to do so, with social distancing measures in place.

Chris added: “There are many reasons for us to be positive about the future after what has been an unprecedented few months.

“For anyone out there who needs us; if you are struggling, need someone to talk to or want to work together with North Wales Dragons to help make a difference, please get in touch.”

For more information, visit the website www.northwalesdragons.co.uk or email chris@northwalesdragons.co.uk

Charity & CSR, Construction, News, South West

Submit photo of the South West and help fundraise for air ambulance charities

The South West community is being invited to contribute photographs of the area to be included in a 2021 calendar which will be sold to raise funds for Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and Devon Air Ambulance.

RGB Building Supplies is looking to find 12 photographs that celebrate the diverse scenery of the region and are asking people in the area to send in pictures of their favourite places. From Lundy Island and Exeter Cathedral, to Bodmin Moor and Porthleven Beach, any photo that showcases the area will be considered.

As well as seeing their photo in the calendar, the photographers of each of the chosen 12 images will receive a £100 voucher to spend at their local RGB branch.

Stephanie Bray, Corporate Fundraising Officer at Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, commented:

“We are delighted that RGB is supporting the Cornwall Air Ambulance in this fun way. We encourage everyone to take part and submit their photos for this unique opportunity to feature in a special edition calendar. By supporting this project, people will be helping to keep the air ambulance flying and saving lives. Thank you!”

Tracy Owen, Fundraising Manager at Devon Air Ambulance, said:

“We are so grateful to our friends at RGB for choosing to support us in their latest fundraising venture! We think a calendar is a great idea – our helicopters fly across our beautiful county and its differing terrain daily and the amazing views from the air are often commented on by the aircrew. Our income has been severely affected by the cancellation of countless events so we will be excited to see the final product – we are sure it will be a big success!”

Kevin Fenlon, CEO of RGB added:

“Our calendar is designed to celebrate the beauty of our region, whilst fundraising for Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and Devon Air Ambulance at the same time. We look forward to seeing what landmarks, wildlife and scenery are featured in the photos we receive.”

Those wishing to submit a photograph simply need to email it to brandteam@rgbltd.co.uk by Friday 11th September confirming the location, along with the photographer’s name and contact details. The entry needs to be landscape orientation and a total of three entries per person will be accepted. Full terms and conditions can be found on RGB Building Supplies’ website – www.rgbltd.co.uk.

Charity & CSR, South Wales

Lord’s Taverners pay tribute to former Wales Chair Ray Dyer

THE Lord’s Taverners in Wales have paid tribute to former chairman Ray Dyer, who has died at the age of 77.

The Cardiff businessman was a driving force behind the capital’s extremely successful Christmas lunches for a couple of decades, and was chair of the Taverners in Wales from 2000 to 2009.

Alan Crossley, who was secretary of the region during Ray’s time as chair, said: “Ray was very much a free-thinking entrepreneur, and the lunches were transformed from speaker-based events to extravaganzas featuring major entertainers from stage, TV and radio, coupled with opera and dance.

“They became so successful we once ran four Christmas Lunches in a single week at the Cardiff Marriott. He had a wonderful sense of humour and he never panicked – even as us group of volunteers organised four events in one week! The lunches remain a highlight of the Cardiff business calendar to this day, and much of that is thanks to Ray.

“He certainly raised the profile of the region, and I can’t begin to think how many buses and special sporting equipment were donated in his time as chair.”

Current Lord’s Taverners Wales chair Andrew Gibson said: “On behalf of all Taverners, I would like to pay tribute and say thanks for Ray’s tireless work on behalf of the charity. During his time, the Wales committee raised many tens of thousands of pounds for the causes we support. Thank you, Ray.

“I would like to give our condolences to Ray’s wife, Pam, and his children Nicola, Charlotte, Chloe and Charlie, and the wider family.”

Son Charlie said: “Fun, fairness, and kindness are the three words which best characterise Raymond Dyer. They were at the heart of everything he did whether at home as our beloved Dad, or in his professional life as Ray. This was equally true of his work with the Taverners where he achieved so much over many years as both a committee member and as Chairman.

“As a family we were fortunate enough to experience a great many Taverners events and have particularly fond memories of Dad’s work to develop the Christmas Lunch events which, from small beginnings, blossomed into one of the hottest tickets in town!

“One particularly poignant memory for me was of a visit to a school in Carmarthenshire with Dad, after they had recently taken receipt of a specially adapted minibus and I will always treasure the memory of experiencing at first hand the joy and the excitement of the young people and staff members and Dad, as I witnessed first-hand the impact of the work that the Taverners has on people’s lives and the pride with which Dad has for the Taverners work.

“Dad considered it a privilege to have been involved in this charitable work: he loved helping others in all he did and he often spoke of the pride he felt in having been involved in developing and leading of the Taverners in Wales.

“He absolutely loved life and always enjoyed his Taverners meetings with the likes of Ian Spratling who became one of Dad’s closest of friends. He would always have one for the plank with him and Richard Adler, Richard Jones and many, many more. They were the ‘good ole days’ he would say.”

Charity & CSR, Children and Childcare, News

Parents joy as Footprints Conductive Education Centre prepares to provide services for disabled children once again

Nottingham-based disabled children’s charity Footprints CEC is reopening its centre next week after a five-month closure due to the Covid-19 outbreak, providing much needed Conductive Education sessions for children and their families once again.

The Conductive Education Centre, which is based in Sneinton, provides sessions for families of children with mobility and communication difficulties across the East Midlands, teaching them everyday life skills that are often taken for granted such as eating, walking, speaking and socialising.

From the 10th August, the centre will be open with a reduced number of children and six members of staff five days a week. Just one face-to-face session will take place per day initially with the children that were unable to access virtual sessions – a significant reduction from the four sessions previously conducted. This will allow for social distancing to be implemented and robust cleaning before and after sessions.

To ensure the children remain safe, PPE will be utilised by staff and hands-on facilitation will be undertaken by the parent wherever possible. Staff and children will stay in fixed ‘bubbles’, to minimise risk and children will bring their own snacks and drinking vessels from home.

Although usual hands on activities such as messy play won’t be available, the charity will ensure the sessions will be full of fun, singing and laughter.

Despite the physical centre being closed since the 16th March, the charity has still been providing its education services to families through virtual Zoom sessions, and these will continue for children that are still shielding. The virtual sessions include a mix of learning, exercises, songs, games and other activities.

Nathalie Bailey-Flitter, manager at Footprints CEC said: “It’s been an incredibly long five months, but we are so delighted to announce that our beloved centre will be reopening once again.

“Although our physical sessions had to stop, we worked to ensure that there was no pause in our services, instead shifting to virtual learning, so the children have been able to continue their development.

“We still have lots to understand about the impact of the pandemic and expect there to be some teething problems initially – so the first few sessions back will be more focused on making sure the children are happy and comfortable.

“These past few months have taught us that your whole world can change overnight and that sometimes no amount of planning can safeguard your charity when a pandemic hits. We have certainly pulled together as a Footprints family and have received some incredible support.

“Thanks to a phenomenal effort from staff, trustees, ambassadors and families, we have been able to pay our bills for the duration of lockdown. However, we still remain concerned about the future. Emergency grant funds have been allocated and the general public is fundraising fatigued – we still have no idea when we will be able to re-run fundraising events.

“We want to say a big thank you to all of our families for their fantastic support throughout this challenging period of closure. We have enjoyed working with some via Zoom, and we’re looking forward to seeing those that can attend in person.

“At the start, we faced the dreadful reality of having to close our doors and were hugely concerned for our children as Conductive Education is a hands-on approach to learning that needs regular sessions. We’re excited to have come through such a stressful time to be back for our little ones, even though it all looks very different for now. We intend to run close sessions wherever possible, whilst ensuring COVID-19 safety precautions are adhered to.

“The big challenge now is to ensure we raise enough funds to stay open to continue providing vital sessions, so our children can truly get the best out of life.”

On the reopening, feedback from parents includes:

“We are very excited to get back to some kind of normal.”

“We would love to come back in August, ‘A’ is getting so much from the sessions over zoom, but I’m sure face-to-face would be better.”

“We feel that Footprints is probably one of the safest places to bring our daughter back to, and we would be happy to come back in August.”

The centre will be resuming its face to face sessions gradually on a phased basis as it begins to build up capacity.

Charity & CSR, Construction, News, South West

Builders merchant launches campaign in aid of air ambulance trusts

RGB Building Supplies is delighted to launch its latest charity initiative to raise vital funds for Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust and Devon Air Ambulance.

The builders merchant has pledged to donate 25p to the charities from the sale of every promotional ‘bulk bag’, which are used to carry large quantities of aggregates, such as sand, crushed stone and gravel.

Stephanie Bray, Corporate Fundraising Officer at Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, commented:

“This is a great way for a business to support its community and help raise crucial funds to keep their local air ambulance flying. Thank you to RGB Building Supplies and we hope lots of their customers support this fundraiser.”

Tracy Owen, Fundraising Manager at Devon Air Ambulance, said:

“We are delighted that RGB has chosen once again to support us and would like to thank them for their on-going support. During these challenging times, being able to work with RGB and build on the already strong partnership really does mean a lot. We know many people will be looking at various projects, which need what RGB has available in their charity bulk bags. If you are planning your own project and need any of the goods offered by the charity bags, please consider supporting us at the same time.”

Kevin Fenlon, CEO of RGB Building Supplies, added:

“We’ve created specialist bulk bags which carry each charity’s logo, and we’d like to encourage trade, and retail customers who are perhaps taking on a landscaping project in their own garden, to visit us for aggregates and help us raise as much money as possible for the charity. In advance, we’d like to thank everyone who purchases a bulk bag and supports our fundraising effort.”

Charity & CSR, News

TOP BUSINESS AWARD WIN FOR LEADING MIDLANDS CHARITY WHICH TURNS UNSOLD HIGH STREET ITEMS INTO EQUIPMENT FOR DISABLED CHILDREN

A leading children’s charity which raises money in a unique way to fund specialist equipment for disabled and terminally ill children has scooped a prestigious award at the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce 2020 Awards.

Newlife the Charity for Disabled Children was named winner of the Excellence in Retail award in last night’s (Thursday 23rd July) ceremony which was held online for the first time ever due to the pandemic.

Hundreds of hopefuls logged on to watch the ceremony and find out who had won each of the 12 awards up for grabs.
Newlife was nominated in two categories – Excellence in Responsible Business and Excellence in Retail – and was delighted to win the latter award, sponsored by Inspired Energy, after being shortlisted alongside Selfridges and Touchwood.

Harjnder Samra, Deputy Commercial Director at Newlife, said: “We’re all absolutely delighted to have been awarded the Excellence in Retail award by the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, which is testament to the incredible amount of work our dedicated staff and volunteers put in throughout the year.

“It has been a hugely challenging time for the charity in recent months, first adapting to lockdown and largely closing down our retail operation, to recent weeks where staff have been working tirelessly to ensure our stores were Covid-secure and welcoming back our loyal shoppers.

“I’m so proud those efforts have been recognised externally and wish a huge well done to everyone at Newlife for all of their hard work.”

Over the last 30 years, the charity’s commercial operation has built up relationships with more than 240 retailers and manufacturers across the UK and Europe who donate unsold items for Newlife to sell at a reduced price in its network of seven stores to fund the charity’s work.

Donors include Primark, Matalan, Amazon and River Island and the items they donate, which include surplus goods, faulty items and customer returns, would otherwise end up in landfill.

Donating to Newlife helps organisations meet their sustainability goals while providing equipment to disabled children in desperate need at the same time.

Newlife’s stores include its flagship SuperStore, Home Store and Market Place in Cannock plus regional stores in Yardley, Birmingham, Market Drayton, Shropshire; Heanor, Derbyshire; and Moreton, The Wirral.

Hundreds of families with disabled and terminally ill children around the UK turn to Newlife in desperation each year because they cannot get the specialist equipment they need including wheelchairs, car seats, beds and buggies quickly enough through statutory services, often because of delays with supply or red tape.

Judges were impressed by the unique way in which Newlife raises money to fund the equipment and run its other vital services including a nurse-run helpline, loaning specialist toys to families and campaigning for changes to local and national policies on the provision of specialist equipment for disabled children.

During lockdown, the charity was hit extremely hard as all stores were closed for three months meaning income virtually stopped overnight. Yet, operating in a reduced capacity, Newlife managed to continue providing its vital services including operating its nurse-run helpline and emergency equipment response which is the only one of its kind in the country and aims to get vital equipment to families anywhere in the UK within 72 hours.

The GBCC Award winners, sponsored by Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham City University, Elonex and HSBC, were selected an esteemed judging panel, chaired by the Chamber’s Chief Financial Officer Helen Bates.

Heart FM presenter Ed James, who hosted the awards with the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce CEO Paul Faulkner, said: “Newlife has been operating for 30 years and directly improved the lives of more than 20,000 disabled and terminally ill kids across the United Kingdom. It’s absolutely awesome. Congratulations and a huge well done to Newlife!”
To watch the moment Newlife won the Excellence in Retail award go to www.greaterbirminghamchambers.com/networking-events/live-gbcc-annual-awards-celebration-2020 and skip to 43:00