A concerted effort from across all five of the firm’s offices, with dozens of events and hundreds of donors, means Birketts is more than halfway to its target of £35,100 – the annual salary of one of the hospice's 11 Clinical Nurse Specialists. These nurses provide vital support to the children and young people with life-threatening conditions, as well as their families. The charity provides a wide range of services, from therapies and counselling to wellbeing activities, respite, short breaks and symptom management.
Through challenges organised by Birketts’ colleagues, as well as getting involved in EACH’s own events, the firm has now raised £21,055. Two teams of walkers have both raised thousands of pounds, racking up the miles in July’s scorching weather – one team taking a 13-mile route from Birketts’ Ipswich office to Manningtree, and another tackling EACH’s 32-mile Pier to Pier Challenge stretching between Great Yarmouth and Cromer.
The firm’s board is also getting involved, with £1,146 donated following a commitment to give £2 for each of the almost 550 employee engagement surveys completed in 2021. On top of this, London-based research company The Nursery has donated £1,100 to EACH following client feedback sessions on behalf of Birketts, giving the fees usually paid to interviewees to charity instead.
Grace Kerr, Partner and CSR Chair at Birketts, said: “The attitude of colleagues across the firm has been exemplary, with hundreds rising to the challenge getting involved with activities and competitions in the name of charity. The money raised for EACH will make an incredible difference in the lives of so many families facing the hardest of circumstances, made even tougher by coronavirus. We know the impact this fundraising will have and we remain motivated to surpass out target of £35,100.”
Caroline Allen, EACH Corporate Fundraiser, added: “Birketts was a perfect corporate fundraising partner, with a reputation for charitable work and an emphasis on CSR work. This milestone confirms the firm practises what it preaches – myself and the team at EACH are incredibly grateful for all their hard work so far and look forward to seeing what’s in store for the second half of 2021.”
Pauline McGowan, Research Lead at The Nursery, said: “EACH is a fantastic cause, and it’s clear that the work of their Clinical Nurse Specialists improved the quality of life for the children and young people they support. We were more than happy to support them through our research for Birketts.”