Mortgage Brainiacs Raise £516 for Hospice
Dec 17, 2010
A group of general knowledge experts at a Birmingham company has raised £516 for the city’s only independent adult hospice.
Paragon Group of Companies, based in Solihull, collected the impressive figure at its annual quiz in aid of Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, which cares for people with life-limiting illnesses across Birmingham and Sandwell.
The company, which specialises in providing mortgages to residential property investors, has staged a quiz since 2006 in memory of a staff member who was cared for by the hospice. This year’s event raised a total of £1,032, with the money split equally between Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice and a Chesterfield-based hospice that provided care to another member of staff.
In fact, the firm’s long standing support for Birmingham St Mary’s goes back to 2001 with a series of fundraising golf days and other donations. Over the years Paragon has raised a fantastic £2,880 for the charity in Selly Park.
Elaine Page, who works in the surveyors department at Paragon and helps organise the even each year, said staff at the company highly valued their partnership with the hospice.
“Having seen the care the hospice provides, we all feel very strongly about supporting this important local charity. We’ve staged the quiz since 2006 and every year staff turn out in large numbers and give generously.”
Hospice Head of Fundraising Caroline Taylor added: “We’re extremely grateful to the staff at Paragon for their long-term support. Having people who fundraise for us year after year is extremely important to ensuring we can continue to provide life changing care to patients and their families. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Paragon.”
Since its launch in 1979, Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice has cared for tens of thousands of people with life-limiting illnesses, such as cancer, motor neurone disease and MS.
With around 52 percent of the Hospice’s budget reliant on public goodwill, community fundraising is crucial to ensuring its highly specialised services can continue to be offered to the people of Birmingham and Sandwell.
In addition to a 25-bed Inpatient Unit, Birmingham St Mary’s boasts a 20-place Day Hospice and provides community care to people who wish to stay in their own homes.
The Hospice also supports relatives with bereavement preparation, physiotherapy tuition and counselling in addition to many other services.
Annual running costs stand at £6.3 million, with around £1 million being raised in the Hospice’s shops and £2.7 million via fundraising. The remainder comes from the NHS.
Birmingham St Mary’s nurses, often referred to by patients and relatives as ‘angels’, are renowned for going that extra mile to ensure people with terminal illnesses enjoy the best possible quality of life.
Picture caption: Elaine Page and Cheryl Tandy award the cheque to hospice fundraiser Yvonne McPhillips (middle)
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