Member Article

Leeds Neo Natal Services receive £1000 donation from Allied Irish Bank (GB)

Allied Irish Bank (GB)‘s* Leeds Business Centre has donated £1,000 to the Leeds Neo Natal Services, part of the Leeds Children’s Hospital as part of the bank’s commitment to support local communities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The donation has been made through AIB Group’s initiative ‘AIB Together’ which has been created to help support local communities by raising much needed funds for charities who are central to the management of the pandemic. The bank’s staff across the UK have set a target of raising €1m, with the Group agreeing to match all funds raised to support local charities who are working hard to support the most vulnerable at this difficult time.

Siobhan McGarry, Relationship Manager at Allied Irish Bank (GB) in Leeds explains: “The Leeds Neo Natal Services is a charity the bank has been a long supporter of and we have raised £229,250 by hosting an annual golf event attended by clients and professionals from across the Leeds business community. This year would have been the 27th annual Niamh Rutherford Golf Classic which regrettably we had to cancel due to the pandemic.

We couldn’t let the event pass without supporting Leeds Neo Natal Services hence the AIB Together initiative and donation given increasing the total amount now raised to £230,250. Hopefully as the world returns to some kind of normality it will be all systems go for next year and we will come back stronger than ever.“

The event is usually hosted at Leeds Golf Club and was first held as a one-off event in 1993. Set up originally by Mr Pat McCabe following the Unit’s successful treatment of his granddaughter, Niamh, the event proved such an enjoyable and worthwhile way of raising funds that it is now a firm fixture on the local golfing calendar. The funds that have been raised over the years have contributed towards much needed medical equipment for sick and premature babies born in the region.

Dr Lawrence Miall, Consultant Neonatologist at Leeds Neonatal Services said: “We are extremely grateful for the ongoing support from the Allied Irish Bank (GB) and the Niamh Rutherford Golf Classic to the two neonatal units in Leeds. We were very sorry that we weren’t able to see you in person this year but the fact that you are still able to send a generous donation to support our work is much appreciated. Luckily our very premature and poorly babies seem to generally have been spared the worst of Covid 19 infection, although the pandemic has had a big impact on their parents, with some limitation to visiting and staff are having to wear full PPE on the intensive care unit, which makes everything more difficult. All the nurses and doctors would like to pass on their gratitude to the Allied Irish Bank (GB) for their ongoing support. “

Allied Irish Bank (GB)’s Leeds team is also supporting business customers through the financial pressures of the pandemic. The bank is an accredited lender of the government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) to provide term loans and is also arranging payment holidays for customers, overdraft extensions, working capital facilities, relaxed covenant terms, loans and overdrafts.

Mark Billington, Business Centre Head in Leeds continued: “We are very conscious of the pressures that our business customers are under and are proud to support our customers across Yorkshire and the local economy as best we can. We have been proactively reaching out to them to offer the best tailored support possible to alleviate their financial concerns. As the situation evolves, we can assure customers that we will remain flexible in our response and continually review our services as necessary, always putting their needs and safety at the forefront of our thinking.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Allied Irish Bank (GB) .