Member Article

Hospice recruits firms for charity Business Challenge

Forget Alan Sugar or the entrepreneurs from Dragon’s Den – now it’s the turn of a Lancashire hospice to challenge the business skills of local firms, as they appeal for companies willing to take on a Business Challenge raising funds for the charity as it celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Each business who signs up to take part will receive £30 from St Catherine’s Hospice in Lostock Hall near Preston, which they must use to invest in raising more money for the charity.

The initiative launches in March and runs for three months, with the winners being announced during the last week of the hospice’s special anniversary awareness month in June.

Signing up to the challenge is also a way local businesses can support the hospice’s Give A Gift campaign, launched to celebrate the charity’s 30th anniversary in 2015.

The appeal contains 30 gifts big and small that the hospice would like the community’s help to achieve this year. One of the items on the list is to have 30 companies involved with supporting St Catherine’s through fundraising and volunteering.

Security distribution firm QED, based in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, has already agreed to take part – building on their existing relationship with St Catherine’s. They have organised cake sales, coffee mornings and staff buffet lunches over the past few months to raise funds, and in April eight employees from across the company will take part in the Manchester 10km run. There are also plans for another group to take on the Tough Mudder extreme obstacle course challenge to raise even more money for the hospice.

Matt Philp, product development director at QED – a company which formed in June 1997 with three staff and now employs 31 people – said everyone was enjoying working together to support St Catherine’s, and they were looking forward to the Business Challenge.

“We’ve organised quite a mixed bag of different things to generate funds – the buffet days, where everyone brings in a dish for the table and then pays £2 to tuck in, have proved really popular. We’re all looking forward to the 10km run too – for me especially it’s given me a reason to stay motivated with trying to get fit and in shape. Without a target to work towards I know it would be much easier to choose sitting on the sofa watching the football on TV, rather than going out for a run! Raising money for a good cause is a great reason to stick at it.

“We’re quite a competitive bunch here at QED so we’ll be going into the challenge with the aim of winning! Discussions are still on-going about how we’ll invest the money and what we’ll do to raise the funds, but I know all the staff will get behind it to make it a success.”

Matt said taking part in the initiative would also be a good teambuilding exercise for the firm, a specialist distributor of 12,000 security products across the country and Europe.

“Fundraising for St Catherine’s not only helps a wonderful local cause which does such important work in our community, it is also great fun for the staff involved,” he said.

“We have some great banter between us and working on projects like this only encourages that. It’s good for motivating people to work together and building the camaraderie between us, plus there’s a real sense of achievement when you know you’ve helped make a difference.”

Matt said the 30th anniversary of St Catherine’s was the ideal opportunity for local businesses to do something to show their support, and encouraged others to get involved.

“If your company has been thinking about doing something for a good cause this year, then why not take on this challenge for St Catherine’s? We’re looking forward to going up against lots of talented local businesses and seeing what they’re made of whilst raising lots of cash for a brilliant charity!”

Lynne Whittaker, senior fundraiser at St Catherine’s, agreed, and said: “We’re sure there will be plenty of fun, friendly rivalry between those who take part!

“We’re looking forward to finding out about all the creative ways people will invest their £30 stake and to celebrating with the team who makes the most money at the end of the three months. But the real winner in this initiative will be St Catherine’s, a charity which relies on the support of local businesses to be able to continue its vital work.

“This year is a very special year for the hospice and we’re marking the important milestone in many different ways, with lots of different people in our community. We hope many local businesses will join in and celebrate our anniversary with us by taking part in this challenge.”

For more information about the Business Challenge email lynne.whittaker@stcatherines.co.uk or call her 01772 324540. Anything goes – as long as it is a legal and ethical way to raise funds, you can let you imaginations run wild! All funds raised will help the hospice generate the £5m it needs each and every year to be able to deliver its services for people facing life-shortening illnesses.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sarah Walker .