Suffolk PR firm donates services to charity

Suffolk PR consultancy Project PR has adopted Ipswich Town Community Trust as its charity for 2010. The company will be donating its PR and media relations services to help build understanding of the Trust’s wide ranging work.

Penny Arbuthnot, Director of Project PR, says: “What struck me about the Community Trust is that it is carrying out some inspirational educational work with children and young people, although it’s currently known mainly for its soccer courses through the Ipswich Town link. As a company we like to put something back into our community and we’re delighted to help by giving our PR services to the Trust in 2010.”

Terry Baxter, Chief Executive, Ipswich Town Community Trust, said: “We are delighted to be offered this support by Penny and the team at Project PR who bring PR expertise and valuable extra resource. It’s given us a fantastic boost to our plans for 2010.”

Project PR will be helping to re-launch the Community Trust to the public, business, schools and the media. As well as free PR support it has donated £350 in cash in place of sending Christmas Cards to clients this year.

Ipswich Town Community Trust was established by Ipswich Town Football Club in 1996 to provide football in the community but since then has developed a much wider role. Over the past year more than 60,000 people have taken part in activities, which aim to raise achievement levels and promote active and healthy lifestyles, primarily through the medium of sport.

Project PR is one of East Anglia’s leading PR agencies and won four Gold and two Silver Awards in the 2009 Chartered Institute of Public Relations Pride Awards for East Anglia – more than any other PR agency or organisation in the region. See www.projectpr.biz

Pink paradise at Suffolk care agency raises £172 for Breast Cancer

A Saxmundham care agency transformed their head office into a pink paradise last week (30th October) which saw generous staff raise £172 for Breast Cancer Campaign as part of the annual Wear it Pink appeal.

Staff at Christies Care took part in the appeal by making a donation to the charity, in exchange for dressing up in pink clothing. Further funds were raised through a raffle which saw an array of fabulous prizes including a bouquet of flowers, perfume, and luxury beauty products.

Wear it Pink has become a fixture in the Christies Care charitable calendar and since 2004, generous donations to various breast cancer charities have topped £1,400.

Debbie Ratcliffe, who organised the day said of the donations; “Wear it Pink is a cause that is close to our hearts, and it is the highlight of our charitable activities throughout the year. We are absolutely delighted to have raised over £1,400 over the past 5 years, as it is a fantastic cause.”

The money raised throughout the Wear it Pink campaign will be used to help fund world class research into breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

For more information on Wear it Pink, visit www.wearitpink.co.uk

Saxmundham firm reach £500+ milestone for Jeans for Genes

Employees at Saxmundham care agency Christies Care swapped their uniforms for jeans last week (2nd October), and reached a fundraising total of more than £540 for children suffering from genetic disorders.

Admin and booking staff at Christies Care have been supporting the annual Jeans for Genes appeal since 2004, and last week’s fundraising efforts, which raised £55, saw their cumulative total reach £541. The appeal encouraged workers to don their best denim in exchange for a £2 donation to the charity.

Debbie Ratcliffe, who organised the company’s charitable efforts, said of the money raised; “We are absolutely amazed that we have managed to raise so much money over the past five years as it is such a good cause. It’s become a staple on the Christies Care calendar, and everyone looks forward to taking part as it’s such a simple thing to do. We are already looking forward to next years appeal.”

Jeans for Genes was established in 1996, and raises funds for research into serious and often life-threatening genetic disorders affecting thousands of children.

For more information on Jeans for Genes and how to donate money, please visit www.jeansforgenes.com

Barking's Biggest Coffee Morning raises £100 for Macmillan

The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning came to Barking last week (25th September) in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support.

Staff and visitors to the Dagenham Motors showroom on Ripple Road, helped to raise £100 by taking part in the annual “World’s Biggest Coffee Morning” appeal, which encourages local people to ‘boil’, ‘bake’ and ‘take a break’ to raise vital funds for the charity.

The money was raised through the sale of coffee and cakes to staff, customers and the local community in return for a donation to the charity.

General Manager Rob Dier said of the event: “We really wanted to support Macmillan as it is a charity that is often overlooked but is invaluable to cancer sufferers and their families. We had a great turn out and are so pleased that we could help raise money for such a worthy cause”.

Last year, more than 45,000 people held coffee mornings and together with their family, friends and colleagues, raised over £7.5 million towards practical, medical, financial and emotional support to help change the lives of those in need.

Polar Dragons roar down the river for St Rocco's

A team of twelve plucky rowers from Polar Ford took to the river last month as part of the first ever Dragon Boat race in aid of St Rocco’s Hospice in Warrington.

The ‘Polar Dragons’ came 3rd out of twelve teams in what was a challenging but rewarding day and managed to raise over £200 for the independent hospice.

St Rocco’s helps hundreds of patients and their families in Warrington each year, providing clinical treatment, emotional and spiritual support, symptom control and nursing care.

Rowena Pyne, team captain of the Polar Dragons, said: “It was great to get out and about and do something worthwhile for a local charity whilst indulging in a bit of healthy competition. A great day was had by all - we came 3rd out of 12 teams, but got the 2nd fastest time overall. Not bad considering most of us had never been in a boat before we raced”!

The event, which started at Warrington Rowing club, was sponsored by BiG Storage and all money raised by the teams went directly to St Rocco’s to help to pay for patient care at the hospice.

It costs approximately £2million per year to keep St. Rocco’s Hospice running with most funds being generated by the local community from sources such as fundraising events corporate and community donations, legacies, Hospice shops, a local lottery and Gift Aid tax relief.

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'Here come the girls' - Swish Party raises over £200 for charity

The traditionally male-dominated world of car dealership Polar Ford was recently turned into a ladies paradise for a night, when it hosted an exclusive ‘Swish Party’ for local customers and guests.

Fashion-loving ladies from all over Bradford descended on the showroom to indulge in the popular clothes-swapping craze, which is fast becoming the favourite way to kit out your wardrobe without emptying out your purse, particularly during the current recession.

£255 was raised on the night, through the entry fee which included a buffet and drinks. A representative from Martini Rosso was there to serve up cocktails and keep guests refreshed throughout the thirsty task of hunting for that perfect outfit.

Clothes swapping, or ‘swishing’ as it is increasingly known, is a great way to recycle unwanted clothes, have some fun, while making some new friends and Polar Ford gave the party an extra twist by donating all the proceeds to Age Concern.

Maureen McEvoy, Sales Manager at Polar Ford who organised the event, said: “We had such a fun night and everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The ladies had to be held back until I signalled the start of the swishing, then they could take away as many clothes as they wanted in return for the hats, shoes and accessories they brought in which were lurking in the back of their wardrobe”.

Any items that weren’t snapped up at the party were donated to the Age Concern shop in Horsforth to be sold on at a later date and raise even more for the charity.