Throughout December TLD have been raising money for St Catherine’s hospice, helping support this worthy cause in providing end of life care to residents in Sussex and local areas and we are delighted to announce we have raised a grand total of over £1200!
Initially intending to support the charity via the annual Dragon Boat race in Tilgate Park, the Thales Titans team were unfortunately unable to participate due to several team members having to drop out. Proud at having raised over £400 to contribute, but disappointed at not being able to give the charity our full support in this event, we decided to make them our designated charity for the remainder of the year, spurring us on to think of new and more inventive ways to raise money.
Kicking off the fundraising, several members of our customer support team began running a tuck shop for the business, selling chocolates and snacks to colleagues to help raise money. The mini start-up has been a huge success, with over £160 being raised in a few short months, and inspiring the rest of the business to think of what they can do to help.
After several discussions on some unusual and exciting ways to raise money, the £10 Challenge was born; inspired by a similar idea run at a local school, this ‘Apprentice-style’ challenge involved teams within the business being allocated £10 to ‘invest’ however they choose, in order to make as much money as possible between 1st and 14th December. Although a new concept for many of the TLD team, the project was embraced whole-heartedly, with five teams taking part, all coming up with a unique idea to raise money.
The Car Washers
As you may have seen on LinkedIn and Twitter, our senior leadership team which included our MD and heads of marketing, sales, operations, finance and capability organised a car wash, which was gladly taken up by their colleagues. Investing their £10 in materials and equipment, they spent several days outside making the TLD staff cars sparkle like a showroom. Even on drab and drizzly days the car washers were out in force, doing their bit for St Catherine’s.
Santa Paws
Recognising the stress that December can bring, the Santa Paws team looked to remedy this within TLD aiming to bring fun and excitement to the business. Their most popular offering was introducing a furry friend for some pet therapy, which proved immensely popular with plenty of people donating money for some play time and cuddles. On top of this, the team also ran lots of other activities to bring joy to their colleagues; hosting an indoor archery competition, selling homemade candles and jewellery boxes, and offering people the opportunity to win money on the lottery bonus ball, helped to bring smiles to the faces of their colleagues and St Catherine’s.
The Crafty sKAMmers
Making the most of their sales experience, the team of Key Account Managers set up a unique gift stall for their project, investing their money in creating and selling homemade chalkboards, candle holders, and decorations. The beautifully presented stall looked like something straight out of an upmarket boutique in London, with the rest of the business quickly buying up the stock for last minute Christmas presents, as well as gifts to treat themselves. The stunning handcrafted items went a long way to raising money for a very worthy cause.
The Misfits
Aiming to help their colleagues manage the stress of typical Christmas worries The Misfits set up a Festive Bazaar, selling key items needed during the Christmas period including table centrepieces, mince pies, cakes, decorations, recipes, Christmas cards and soft toys, almost all of which was made by the team themselves. With the tasty treats being a top seller, along with the cards and cuddly toys, the money raised by their efforts will make a huge difference to the work of St Catherine’s Hospice.
The La-De-dAs
Formed of the Learning & Development Advisers, the winning team for the challenge put the other teams to shame with their money-making enterprise. With a diverse array of talent available within the team, they were able to offer services including gift wrapping, manicures and massages, as well as products (all hand-made) such as rocky road, Christmas cards, sausage rolls, mice pies, fudge and ginger bread. Their efforts were well received by the rest of the business, and they raised a huge amount of money for this amazing charity from their hard work.
As a result of everyone’s effort and generosity, the funds raised from the £10 Challenge were just over £900 in a mere two weeks. On top of this £150 was raised via our raffle, with a number of local businesses such as LooseYoga Studio and audio-visual retailer Avensys donating prizes, and a huge number of TLD staff giving items as well.
The team were pleased to be able to present the money to St Catherine’s Hospice and take them on a journey through our fundraising efforts; Laura Kelly was delighted to accept our cheque and said ‘we have to raise £6million each year to fund our activities, so events like this are a huge help, and we really appreciate it. It’s also great for raising our profile, and helping people understand what it is that we do at St Catherine’s and why it’s so important. Thank you to everyone who took part!’
With over £1200 raised for St Catherine’s Hospice, as well as over £200 for MacMillan during our coffee morning in September, and £50 raised for Children in need, we are delighted to be able to support these vital charities in their work, and are pleased that the generosity and input of our team will help make a difference to those who need it.
If you would like to learn more about the work of St Catherine’s Hospice and donate, please visit their website. Or you can donate via our JustGiving page here.
To learn more about MacMillan and the vital work they do please click here.
For more information about Children in Need please click here
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