EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk and the memory day provided bereaved families with the opportunity to visit the hospice at Milton and to remember and celebrate the life of their child.
Clare Hedges, associate and CSR committee representative for Birketts’ Cambridge office, said: “Last year as part of our celebration of the firm’s 150th anniversary, we undertook a challenge to raise £150,000 for charity. We exceeded our target but for 2014 we wanted to place the emphasis on giving up time rather than donating money. As Birketts and Bidwells have both nominated EACH as their charity of the year for 2014 we saw it as a great opportunity to work together. This initiative involved a team of five people from Birketts and six people from Bidwells visiting the hospice at Milton to help them get the grounds ready for the memory day.”
Richard Pilsworth, head of Bidwells’ Cambridge office added: "For Birketts and Bidwells to work together is not unusual - we have done so many times, professionally - but to combine our forces for our nominated charity was an inspired idea. The two teams worked well together and EACH really benefited because they were able to tap into an enthusiastic and very energetic group of people. We aim to do a lot more of this - i.e. Cambridge businesses working together for Cambridge causes."
Catherine Bacon, senior associate at Birketts said “Tasks ranged from weeding, pruning, sweeping, sawing branches and chipping to setting up chairs in the marquee. A special mention has to go to fixing a long defunct fountain in the pond – which involved the team donning waders and venturing into the depths of a very murky pond.”
Tom Newcombe; Catherine Bacon, Josie Coe, Joanne Martin and Rory Abel volunteered on behalf of Birketts. The Bidwells’ team on the day were Stacey Jarvis, Jeremy Thurlby, Bella Darby, Robyn Williams, James Wood and Neil Waterson.