At Care UK, supporting colleagues who want to give back to their community is a top priority.
Care UK’s matched funding scheme meets colleagues’ fundraising efforts up to £1,000 for UK-based charities. This ensures that we support charities in the areas in which our homes operate, as well as donating to national causes.
The team at Hartismere Place in Eye, Cambridgeshire, are one of the many homes who regularly donate to charity. By working together, and involving residents, their relatives, and the local community, they’ve been able to fundraise for some crucial causes.
The team recently turned a gift into an opportunity by holding a raffle for an M&S gift hamper. The hamper had been kindly donated by Norman, husband of former resident, Shirley Howard, who had lived at Hartismere Place from February 2022 to July 2023 before sadly passing away. The home team donated the money raised from the raffle to the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity – who support children and their families as they battle serious illnesses. The home team knew this was a cause close to the Howard family’s hearts, and together they raised £162.08. This was matched by Care UK, making their total donation £324.16.
Around Christmas time, the team and residents got festive together by making decorations that they could then sell to family and friends, or any visitors who came into the home. The funds made from sales were donated to local charity Hartismere Hospital League of Friends – a charity that focuses on sponsoring the supply of equipment for use in physiotherapy, midwifery, and care in the community. In total they raised £67.00, taking their donation with matched funding to £134.00.
Another local donation went to Waveney Foodbank, who are part of the Trussell Trust network and support local people with food parcels. . Colleagues held another raffle for a hamper. Visitors, friends, and family took part, and they managed to raise £120.00. With the addition of matched funding, the final donation to the food bank was a brilliant £240.00.
Last summer, the team put together two events for local visitors to enjoy. One raised funds for Dove Dementia Café – a charity that brings together people who have had experiences dealing with dementia, ensuring they can have lunch together so that they can socialise and feel supported. The other donated to the Stradbroke Courthouse and Library Trust, a heritage charity which runs Eye’s local library and historic courthouse building.. With matched funding, they were able to donate £112.50 to each important cause.
In 2023, Hartismere Place also raised funds for Eye Opportunity Group, a charity that hosts playgroups for disabled children living in Cambridgeshire. The group provides children with activities which will result in improved confidence, opportunities to socialise, and the support to develop new skills. A food hamper was raffled off by rhe home, raising an impressive £300 in the process. After matched funding, their total donation to the cause was £600.
Over the past year, Hartismere Place colleagues have raised a total of £761.58 for local charities, and with Care UK’s matched funding scheme, have donated a total of £1,523.16.
Claire Martin, Home Manager said: “Here at Hartismere Place, we’re keen to create strong links with local charities and provide support where we can. We are honoured to aid these charities who we know will benefit a huge amount from the funds we raised.
“We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part in the fundraising efforts and helped us reach such a fantastic amount. Great Ormond Street Hospital and Hartismere Hospital League of Friends help so many people affected, and we hope our funds will aid in continuing their important work.”
If you think a job in the care sector, working alongside inspirational people like the team at Hartismere Place, could be for you then please read the full list of vacancies on our website – https://www.careuk.com/careers
