Christmas is a time for giving, and that goes for the business community too.
So here 19 examples of South West businesses who have raised cash for good causes in 2019.
Merry Christmas to all our marvellous 19 for ‘19.
Plymouth Superheroes
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the Plymouth Superheroes - and they have raised a cool £20,173 one of the city’s favourite charities, St Luke’s Hospice.
The Superheroes are a group of business people who don costumes, and new identities, to carry out fundraising missions throughout the year.
Each year they support a different charity, with Plymouth Music Zone and Street Factory CIC previous recipients of their courageous efforts.
The fundraising culminated with the Superheroes Ball, held in 2019 at the Crowne Plaza hotel, but there has also been a skydive for the more adventurous.
In three years the Superheroes have raised more than £34,000, but will take a year off in 2020.
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“We haven’t got plans for next year,” said Paul “Sir Fix-a-lock” Bushell. “We’ll still do some fundraising, but no a big ball – but in 2021 we will be back with a vengeance.”
Barcan+Kirby
Bristol law firm Barcan+Kirby presented a special cheque to The Grand Appeal, after raising £12,325 for the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity this year.
The firm raised thousands for the popular charity that supports children and their families at the hospital and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s, by hosting fundraising events and endurance feats.
More than £9,000 was raised by one of the founding partners of the firm, Giles Woodward and compliance manager, Gemma Geoghegan in an epic cycle challenge covering more than 160 miles from Land’s End to Bristol.
Staff also hosted three auctions, two raffles, 12 dress-down days and the Barcan+Kirby Bake Off Challenge to reach the final sum raised.
Skipton Building Society and Mortgage Advice Bureau
Two charities – Plymouth Soup Run and Shekinah – have been awarded £1,000 each thanks to an initiative by Skipton Building Society and the support and recommendation of James Webster from the Mortgage Advice Bureau in Plymouth.
The building society launched the scheme via its broker partners, asking them to nominate a housing or homeless charity they support or work with. James nominated both charities and was delighted to see both awarded funds.
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Plymouth Soup Run’s Hilary Knight was thrilled to receive the donation. She added: “the Soup Run is organised entirely by volunteers, there are no paid staff and we provide a service every night of the year, whatever the weather.
“We go to 4 stops in Plymouth at set times each night and distribute food, emergency bedding and clothing. We work closely with Shekinah – running our soup kitchen from their site in Bath Street on Sundays – and its great to see them also receive a donation from Skipton. By the end of 2019 we will have served nearly 27,000 meals.”
CAMB Machine Knives International
A family-run business in Yate, Bristol, has raised more than £30,000 for Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity, The Grand Appeal.
CAMB Machine Knives International celebrated its 30th anniversary in October 2018 and to mark the occasion, the family set themselves the challenge of raising an extra £10,000 to bring their fundraising total to £30,000.
The company, which supplies and exports knives to more than 20 countries around the world was established in 1989 and has been fundraising for the charity for almost 10 years after joining the Cots for Tots Business Challenge in 2010.
Their first year of fundraising saw the team raise £1,000 for the business challenge and since then, through a whole host of events including 10k runs, Halloween and Disney themed parties, sponsored walks, haircuts, street dancing, marathons, cycle challenges, quiz nights and fishing matches they have smashed the £30,000 milestone.
The company have also sponsored sculptures in all three of the ground-breaking charity trails – Sir Gromit of Bristol in 2013, Shaunus Romanus in 2015 and Rocketman in 2018.
The fundraising has been led by three generations of the family, spearheaded by daughter Sarah Hitchings and her dad and owner of CAMB Machine Knives International, Jerry Milner. Sarah’s daughter Chloe and sister Emma also started fundraising making it a complete family effort taking the total raised in 2019 to £12,520.
Boardmasters Foundation
Vision Nine, organisers of Boardmasters, Cornwall’s surf and music festival, have announced 23 Cornish charities, organisations and community groups, including long-term partners Surfers Against Sewage and 海角视频 Pro Surf Tour, are to benefit from a share of £25,000 raised by the Boardmasters Foundation in 2019.
Funds for the Boardmasters Foundation are raised each year by Boardmasters. This year, funds were raised from generous donations by residents, festival partners and an additional donation from festival organisers Vision Nine.
Established in 2017, the Boardmasters Foundation was borne out of the festival’s desire to give back and support Cornish culture and surrounding communities. Each year, the Foundation invites causes to apply for funding. Applications are then reviewed, with funds allocated in line with the Foundation’s key areas of focus – Culture, Community and Force for Good.
All 23 recipients of the 2019 funds will be announced in the coming months. Previous benefactors have included Porth Residents Committee , the Porth Town Band, the St Mawgan Minis Football Club and Newquay in Bloom.
SSG Training and Consultancy
The team at SSG Training and Consultancy have had a great year of charity work, raising £450 for their three charities: Devon Air Ambulance Trust, RNLI and Children’s Hospice South West.
On top of chosen fundraising events, they’ve taken part in a variety of organised events for great causes and sponsored local teams and individuals.
Fundraising events in 2019 have included a company quiz, taking part in Last Team Standing for the second year, having fun at Plymouth’s Pretty Muddy Run and a selection of other marathons and sporting events.
They’ve also been busy in the community, sponsoring Devonport Services Rugby Club Under 11s on their journey to Twickenham, becoming the 19/2020 sponsors of a West Devon netball team and donating 70 Easter eggs to local charities Children’s Hospice South West and Derriford Children’s Ward.
Continuing our charity work through the festive period, we have held festive themed events and a team Christmas card with all funds being split between the three designated charities.
As a final fundraiser, the whole team have been collecting a range of food and hygiene items which will be donated to the Oasis Project/Plymouth Food Bank.
Thomas Westcott Chartered Accountants
Thomas Westcott Chartered Accountants presented Devon Air Ambulance with a cheque for £691. The donation brings the total the firm has raised for the charity over the past 15 years to £5,641.
As part of Thomas Westcott’s support for rural communities, its Agricultural Consultancy Service team regularly attends agricultural shows across the South West, providing complimentary refreshments for people who visit the Thomas Westcott stand, as well as organising fun activities such as face painting for children. At each event, the team encourages people to donate much-needed cash to Devon Air Ambulance.
Thomas Westcott also raised £6,754 for South West MS Centre by holding a golf day in South Devon. The South West’s fastest-growing independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers has held its annual golf day in support of the Exeter-based charity for more than 15 years.
About 100 people took part in the event, which took place at Teignmouth Golf Club. Twenty-two teams made up of Thomas Westcott clients, staff and professional contacts competed for the winning place. Along the course, they also took part in a number of other fundraising activities.
An auction, which included prizes ranging from a cookery course to a hotel stay, provided a further boost to the final total raised.
The MS therapy centre provides a range of treatments, information and support for people with Multiple Sclerosis, their carers and families in the South West. Based in Exeter, the charity offers therapies and treatments such as oxygen therapy, exercise classes, massage and counselling.
Sharp’s Brewery
The hard-working fundraising team at Cornwall’s Air Ambulance were treated to a behind-the-scenes tour at Sharp’s Brewery recently where they also raised a glass to the success of the New Heli Appeal and Sharp’s vital support.
In addition to being the first Major Appeal Sponsor for the New Heli Appeal with its donation of £10,000, the Rock-based brewery has supported the lifesaving charity for more than six years, providing beer for fundraising events and taking part in fundraising activity.
These include the Sharp’s team recently putting aside any rivalry to play in a charity football match against St Austell Brewery, raising £150 through their mutual efforts.
The team also recently provided more funding through the Air Ambulance’s “bring a pound to work day”, with the business matching donations from staff to achieve a total of £202. Earlier this year, a brewer from Sharp’s Brewery, Paddy Carter, took a sharp breath before leaping off a 160ft crane (in the safety of a harness), for an Air Ambulance fundraising bungee jump, held on Porth Beach, Newquay.
The Cornwall Air Ambulance’s New Heli Appeal seeks to bring a next-generation Air Ambulance helicopter to Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly by April 2020, and the fund recently reached the £2million mark. However, there is still £484,881 left to raise.
Coodes Solicitors
South West law firm Coodes Solicitors has raised £15,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, funding more than 536 hours of Macmillan nurses’ time and supporting a support centre in Cornwall.
Staff from across Coodes’ network of offices in Cornwall and Devon took part in a number of events over the course of two years, from July 2017 to July 2019.
Their efforts have raised much-needed funds for The Cove Macmillan Support Centre in Truro, Cornwall’s only dedicated cancer information and support centre.
Macmillan Cancer Support was the firm’s Charity of the Year for two consecutive years. Fundraising events included dress down days, Macmillan coffee mornings, donations from raffles and tuck shops, and a sponsored lunchtime walk by Coodes’ Residential Property team.
Coodes presented a cheque for £15,000 to representatives from Macmillan Cancer Support at this year’s Macmillan Christmas Fair, held at the Eden Project.
An additional £1,500 has previously been raised through the inaugural Great Coodes Christmas Cake Off at the Macmillan Christmas Fair in 2018.
Southern Co-op
More than £10,000 has been raised for a regional children's hospice thanks to the support of co-operative customers across Bristol and North Somerset.
Colleagues at Southern Co-op's convenience stores in the region were so touched by the work of their regional hospice that they decided to draw on their competitive fundraising spirit.
Throughout September they challenged themselves to raise as much money as possible and the winner was: The Co-operative Food - Bath.
In total, colleagues and customers at the 18 stores raised £2,863 for Children's Hospice South West. But the stores had already raised a significant amount in 2019, making the current total more than £10,000.
The charity cares for children with life-limiting conditions and their families by providing respite care and short breaks, as well as emergency, palliative and end of life care from its three hospices.
Persimmon Homes Cornwall
Scientists carrying out world-class research into the devastating effects of brain tumours have been awarded a share of funding from a leading housebuilder.
Persimmon Homes Cornwall has donated funds from its Community Champions fund to the research team at the University of Plymouth.
Rachel Brown, who made the funding application, said: “The University of Plymouth is of only four Brain Tumour Research Centres of Excellence in the 海角视频, and we are unique in our focus on low-grade brain tumours.
“No one knows why these slow-growing tumours become malignant. It’s a question we’re getting closer to answering. We’re identifying biomarkers to detect this progression and to test drugs first in human primary cell cultures, then progressing into clinical trials with patients.
“We need to raise £2,740 a day to cover the cost of our research and are grateful for the support Persimmon Homes inn Cornwall is giving us.”
Each month Persimmon Homes donates up to £2,000 to community groups in each of its 32 business operating areas.
This means up to £64,000 is dished out every month – a total of £768,000 a year, and more than £2million since the scheme started in 2015.
Associated British Ports
Associated British Ports’ (ABP) stevedoring team at the Port of Teignmouth has nominated the charity Volunteering in Health to receive a £500 donation in support its vital work in the community.
Volunteering in Health is a South Devon charity supporting local people to improve their health and wellbeing, a topic with which ABP shares a core focus.
ABP’s own Beyond Zero company culture, aims not only to achieve zero accidents at work but also to create an environment, which helps colleagues thrive and improves their overall wellbeing.
This is not the first time ABP has worked with Volunteering in Health, in February 2019, it donated three tonnes of sand to be used to build a beach as part of a Don't Bottle It Up wellbeing event, focused on mental health.
The event was organised in support of the charity at the pub The Blue Anchor.
ABP’s Teignmouth team regularly gets involved in charitable causes including sponsoring the annual Teignmouth Carnival and organising charitable sports events, such as a tug o’ war challenge which raised funds for Oxfam.
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Totnes Young Farmers
Throughout the year, Totnes Young Farmers, with its 65 members, have been raising £22,000 for two charities; Devon Air Ambulance and Cystic Fibrosis.
Whether it is a charity log chop, Christmas quiz, running wedding bars or a charity summer ball with an auction of promises, Totnes YFC will give the recipients of £11,000 each.
The club is one of 38 in Devon and is open to anyone from the age of 10 through to 26.
South West Business Council
Members of the South West’s business community came together to raise £1,400 for the South West Coast Path – the amount needed to look after one of its 630 miles for one year.
Over 100 representatives from Devon, Cornwall and Somerset’s most influential and fastest growing businesses attended the South West Business Council’s annual dinner at Dartington Hall to celebrate a successful year for the region and to rais funds for the Trail that links up the great South West region.
The South West Coast Path generates more than £500million per year for the region’s economy, supporting 11,000 jobs.
The Coast Path attracts nine million visitors a year and provides people living in the South West with a place to walk, run or simply spend time outdoors.
TPS Plymouth
TPS Plymouth has launched Genuine Parts for Genuine Causes, a new scheme set up to help carry out essential repairs on vehicles required as a lifeline for an individual, communities and charitable causes.
The initiative will offer individuals, community projects and charitable organisations the opportunity to apply to local independent garages, which have a TPS account, for help with repairs needed to keep their vehicles on the road.
The garage will provide the labour free of charge and TPS will provide the genuine parts, in a partnership aimed at helping those motorists most in need.
It could be the school unable to afford to repair its minibus, the community project’s pool car requiring essential repairs or the hard-up single parent desperate to keep their vehicle on the road as they juggle caring for an aging relative with the school run.
Independent local garages can apply to their local TPS Plymouth centre on behalf of their customers for two different types of parts award.
The TPS Manager Award, offers assistance to the value of £150 towards Genuine Parts. Centres will have six of these awards to be given over a three-month period on a first-come-first served basis to customers that meet the minimum qualifying criteria.
The second-tier award is the Regional Award and will allow garages to apply for a select number of awards to the value of £1,000. These will be awards for larger scale repairs or alternations for the most deserving of causes.
Darts Farm
During the summer months Darts Farm is renowned for its vibrant yellow fields of pick-your-own sunflowers and it’s superb Maize Maze.
The beautiful flowers raised £5,034 this year for Darts Farm charity Hospiscare and the Maize Maze, constructed entirely out of the maize crop grown in the Darts Farm field, has raised £3,061 for charity ELF (Exeter Leukaemia Fund).
Darts Farm grow thousands of beautiful sunflowers on its farm near Topsham in Devon.
Hospiscare offers free support and expert care for those with a terminal diagnosis in the local Devon community and provides a vital source of support of their families at times of real need.
ELF is a registered charity supporting patients and their families attending the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital who are affected by blood cancers and blood disorders.
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Linden Homes
Linden Homes’ site manager, Allan Britton and forklift driver, Jason Clark raised over £1,300 for The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) by taking part in the national three peak 24 hour challenge.
Climbing 3,400 feet, the duo trekked up Snowdon in Wales, Scafell Pike in England and
Ben Nevis in Scotland in 23 hours and 45 minutes, with 15 minutes still to go. Allan and Jason are both building the new Sandrock development in Exeter.
City College Plymouth
City College Plymouth students and staff presented St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, with a cheque for £6,119. The money was raised through a range of charitable activities undertaken by students and staff over the past year, ranging from the Plymouth 10K and a cake sale to a Christmas jumper day and a David Bowie tribute.
Every academic year, the college chooses to support a good cause and in 2018/19 they selected St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth. St Luke’s is an independent hospice charity providing specialist end of life care to the people of Plymouth, South West Devon and East Cornwall.
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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Tesco
Thousands of meals have been donated to food banks and groups feeding people, thanks to the generosity of Tesco’s Avon shoppers.
Avon shoppers donated 19,024 meals as part of the overall total of 2.5million meals donated to charities the Trussell Trust and FareShare by shoppers during Tesco Food Collection, with Tesco topping up the value of all the donations by an additional 20%.
The donations to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network are being used to provide food parcels for people in crisis, while donations to FareShare go to charities and community groups such as homeless shelters and older people’s lunch clubs who also receive surplus food from Tesco stores.
The donations from the three-day collection are in addition to items donated by customers throughout 2019. In the year to October, more than 7 million meals were donated to food banks in the Trussell Trust’s network at those in-store collection points.