Member Article

Barratt Manchester raises the bar for Francis House

Local housebuilder, Barratt Manchester, has been raising a glass to its Charity of the Year, Francis House, by collecting £2,150 of donations in a bottle raffle – just one of many fundraising tactics for 2017.

The Charity of the Year initiative was launched in 2016 and sees the local housebuilder raise funds throughout the year for a local charity.

In addition to the bottle raffle, other fundraising activities scheduled throughout the year include ‘Bake-Off’ inspired cake sales, casual comfy clothing days and weather permitting, a summer golf day which proved to be a success last year.

Didsbury-based Charity of the Year, Francis House, provides care for children and young people with life limiting conditions, as well as short term respite provision for family members and carers.

In addition to its state of the art hospital facilities, the hospice includes Francis Lodge - a new £3.5 million extension, opened officially last year by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The seven bedroom building provides an age appropriate, “parent free” zone for young people to mix with others of a similar age where they can be supported as they cope with major changes in their lives. Facilities include a cinema pod, a purpose-built recording studio, outside balcony spaces and a computer suite.

Francis House was also Barratt Manchester’s charity of the year for 2016, with the fundraising total reaching £17,594. The team at Barratt Manchester are hoping to top that amount in 2017.

Commenting on the funds raised by Barratt Manchester, Francis House CEO, Reverend David Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be associated with such a prestigious company as Barratt Manchester and are extremely pleased to be Charity of the Year for the second year running. We rely on charitable contributions for over 80 per cent of our annual running cost so it really is wonderful to have the team help us out again.“

Barratt Manchester MD, Neil Goodwin, said: “We’re very grateful to everyone who threw themselves into the first of this year’s fundraising campaigns, whilst raising money and awareness of Francis House. The hospice is a truly inspiring place to visit, and we feel privileged to be in a position to support it for a second year running.“

Through the ‘Charity of the Year’ initiative and the Barratt Legacy programme, Barratt Manchester aim to improve each of the communities in which it has developments by leaving a lasting legacy for the area.

For more information about Francis House, visit: www.francishouse.org.uk

For more information about Barratt Legacy, visit http://barrattlegacy.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Amelia Peters .