Our Charity of the Year initiative dates back to 2006, during which time we’ve raised money for some fantastic causes. We are hugely proud of all we have achieved and thought we would take a quick look back at one of our favourite and most rewarding initiatives, one which began when we were introduced to a very special girl called Kirsty Howard.
Where It All Began
Kirsty was a beautiful and inspiring individual, who, whilst battling a life limiting illness, spearheaded an incredible fundraising campaign which secured the future for Francis House Children’s Hospice.
At the age of four years old, Kirsty was given a matter of weeks to live, but she defied all the odds, reaching her 20th birthday. And what a life she led. Not only was she a fantastic ambassador for her charity, but she also played her part in the Manchester Commonwealth Games, meeting royalty in both the Queen and David Beckham!
Her cause was the basis of our own Charity of the Year initiative, being the first charity which we focused all fundraising efforts throughout the year, and allowing us to present an amount of money which we knew would significantly benefit Francis House.
More Causes Close To Our Heart
Kirsty’s passion for fundraising paved the way for our own initiative and in the years that have followed we have supported a wide variety of charities from local hospices and hospitals including St Roccos, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and The Christie to causing include the Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Epilepsy Action, Marie Curie, Macmillan, the Alzheimer’s Society, Once Upon a Smile, Solving Kids Cancer and Manchester Mind.
Our charities have been chosen for different reasons. Some have been causes close to our colleagues hearts, others have been proposed by customers, but one thing that remains the same is that the money raised has been used regionally, for the benefit of our local communities, or used for a specific purpose, as in the case of The Christie where the money raised was used to fund a state-of-the-art intensive care bed.
Thank You To Everyone Involved
We have raised some incredible totals for some very worthwhile causes and a big thank you goes to all our colleagues and customers who have helped us do this. The continued support shown by our customers is hugely appreciated and we thank you for your continued generosity, donating via our collection tins or getting involved with our various fundraising events.
And we’ve had some very special colleagues who have got involved with their own fundraising activities including parachute jumps, marathons, coast to coast cycle rides, dragon boat racing as well as some very competitive in-centre netball and football matches. We couldn’t have achieved any of our incredible fundraising without you.
Other Ways We Support Good Causes
Whilst our Charity of the Year initiative is the main focus of fundraising here at Bents, we are keen to support as many local causes as possible and welcome charity requests. We are unable to provide financial support but whenever possible will look at other ways we can help. This might be in the form of a prize for a charity raffle or a donation of plants or other products. If you have such a request, please email marketing@bents.co.uk and a member of our team will be in touch as soon as possible.