BT volunteer wins £700 grant for The Brown Dog Charity in Coalville Leicestershire
BT has rewarded The Brown Dog Charity in Coalville with a grant of £700 in recognition of the charity’s work raising vital funds for the fight against cancer.
The grant was awarded through the company’s employee recognition scheme, the BT People Awards. The scheme recognises and rewards BT’s volunteering heroes, who offer their time and skills to help people in their local communities, by providing grants to organisations in which they are involved.
The Brown Dog Charity achieved a silver award in the Fundraising category of the awards for the contribution it makes to the local community. The cancer charity has raised around£450,000 since being launched in 2000, helping to purchase vital equipment to improve diagnostics, surgery and care.
Mark Storer, head of business improvement at BT, formed the charity fourteen years ago after an eight month battle with cancer. He said: “Every penny we raise goes directly to those who need it most as the charity doesn’t have any overheads. Money raised this year will be going to two hospitals – the Leicester Royal Infirmary to purchase vital equipment in the haematology unit, and to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to purchase state-of-the-art breast re-construction equipment.
“Most of our money is raised through an annual challenge event that takes place in the summer and involves things like climbing mountains, running marathons, a coast to coast bike ride and canoe marathons. We are only a couple of weeks away from launching our new and updated website (www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk) as well as revealing details of the 2015 challenge, so watch this space.”
Fundraising for the Leicester Royal Infirmary Hospital is helping to replace old and inefficient equipment in the haematology unit that will speed up treatment, improve the outcome and minimise time in hospital.
Money raised for Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton is helping purchase breast re-construction equipment. Hundreds of women who have experienced the trauma of breast cancer will benefit from the best re-construction possible.
The Brown Dog Charity is one of two groups in the East Midlands to have received a grant from the BT People Awards this year to help them continue their excellent work in the community. The other charity is Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula Support (TOFS) in Nottingham.
Owen Moody, BT’s East Midlands regional director, said: “The People Awards acknowledge the time and commitment that BT people in the East Midlands are giving to the local community groups for which they volunteer.”
Four hundred and fifty one applications were received for this round of grants and 84 applicants received awards totalling £50,980.
Applications were submitted by BT people from all over the world including Peru, India and Belgium. These included a wide range of community organisations from football clubs to police cadets to red squirrel protection, illustrating the wide variety of activities in which BT people are involved.
The Fundraising category recognises individuals who have made a significant contribution to fundraising particularly where they have been involved in the organisation and execution of a particular event or campaign.
For more information and to see a complete list of the latest award recipients please visit:www.btpeopleawards.co.uk or see what BT can do to help charities by visiting:www.bt.com/charityportfolio.
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For further information please contact the BT regional press office on 0800 085 0660.
The East Midlands winners are:
- The Brown Dog Charity, 75 Abbotts Oak Drive, Coalville, LE67 4SB £700www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk
- Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula Support (TOFS), St George’s Centre, 91 Victoria Road, Netherfield, NG4 2NN £700 www.tofs.org.uk
