"It was lovely to have our staff pull together to raise funds for a charity that is very close to my heart"
Abby Carey
Staff at HURST donned hiking boots, backpacks and aprons to help raise £4,000 for a Greater Manchester hospice through a series of sponsored away day activities.
More than 40 staff from the accounting and business advisory firm undertook a variety of endeavours, from climbing Kinder Scout in the Peak District to serving in a café.
The away day formed part of HURST’s fundraising activities for its charity of the year, Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton-under-Lyne.
Willow Wood was nominated by HURST trainee accountant Abby Carey, whose late mother was cared for there.
Abby was among a group from HURST who spent their away day working in Willow Wood’s furniture shop and café in Stalybridge.
An intrepid group scaled Kinder Scout, some staged a bring-and-buy sale on the car park outside HURST’s main offices in Stockport, while others helped with fundraising and finance at Willow Wood’s headquarters or sorted donated goods to the charity at its warehouse and distribution centre in Ashton.
Willow Wood Hospice provides specialist care for adults with life-limiting illnesses from across Tameside and Glossop.
The hospice, which opened in 1999, makes no charge for any of its services, which include a 12-bed inpatient unit and day services providing assessments and treatment. Willow Wood has running costs of £7,650 a day.
HURST partner and director of practice development Simon Brownbill said: “Willow Wood does amazing work, and we wanted to make a positive contribution towards its fundraising efforts. As well as raising money, our team gave over 150 hours to support the hospice with a number of important jobs that hadn’t been tackled owing to the pandemic.”
Abby Carey said: “My mum was admitted into Willow Wood Hospice shortly before she passed away in 2020. The care she received was impeccable and the staff looked after my entire family during a very difficult time.
“Having seen first-hand the incredible work they do, I can honestly say it is a privilege to have Willow Wood as our charity of the year. It was lovely to have our staff pull together to raise funds for a charity that is very close to my heart.”
Elaine McConnell, Willow Wood’s community and corporate fundraiser, said: “Corporate volunteering is a huge support for us and there are real benefits for companies as well.
“The lovely and very enthusiastic people from HURST helped us enormously, working behind the scenes in our Stalybridge shops, at our warehouse and distribution centre and at the hospice itself. They could see that they made a positive contribution and a real difference.”
