We are pleased to announce that our partnership with our charities of the year 2016/17, Haven House Children’s Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support, will benefit the charities by over £320,000 – the largest amount ever raised by our colleagues.
Colleagues raised over £94,500 through a series of fundraising events and initiatives including taking part in the London marathon, coffee mornings, bake sales, and collecting donations in tube stations around London. The Bank then matched £25,000 of the money raised for each charity.
Following the launch of the new £10 note in September, various Jane Austen notes with low or special serial numbers were auctioned for our charities of the year on 6 October. The auction raised nearly £270,000. A third of the proceeds from the auction was also donated to Candlelighters, the charity nominated by a member of Notes Directorate staff.
Commenting on the amount raised for our charities of the year, Chief Operating Officer Joanna Place said:
“The total amount fundraised is higher than previous years and shows the enormous dedication of our colleagues to undertaking and supporting fundraising efforts. From Macmillan coffee mornings to marathons to helping to maintain the wonderful sensory garden at Haven House, I have been so proud of the efforts across the Bank to support these two charities in various ways. The funds raised by our colleagues, and the funds from of our charity banknote auction, will help these charities in their important work to support those in need.”
The money raised for Macmillan could pay for over 3 Macmillan Nurses for over one year, helping people living with cancer and their families receive essential medical, practical and emotional support.
The money raised for Haven House children’s hospice will go towards their core services which includes vital respite and overnight care. Last year the charity supported 353 children across all of their services.
The Bank of England fosters an inclusive culture where everyone can contribute to the public good. As part of this we encourage colleagues to support the community and charitable causes that they care about. You can find out more about this here.
Each year, colleagues are invited to nominate and then vote for the charities they would like to support. Our new charities for 2017/18 are Samaritans and Child Bereavement UK.
