Lord Forsyth, chairman of Secure Trust Bank, presented a £17,600 cheque to Birmingham St Mary’s to help support local families living with terminal illness.
Big-hearted staff at Secure Trust Bank – which is headquartered in Solihull – raised the impressive amount and Lord Forsyth was invited to present the funds on Valentine’s Day.
A keen charity supporter, Lord Forsyth helped boost the Bank’s fundraising efforts by doubling its pound-for-pound matching scheme to the value of £200 per employee.
During his visit to the Hospice, the former Secretary of State of Scotland met with people who are currently receiving its vital care, as well as touring its facilities at Selly Park.
Secure Trust Bank first partnered with Birmingham St Mary’s in January last year (2017) after Solihull-based staff voted for the local charity they most wanted to support.
Since the partnership, employees have hosted a number of creative fundraisers, including samosa sales, a darts tournament and quiz nights, as well as taking part in events organised by the Hospice. A recent event was Birmingham St Mary’s ‘Charity Shop Challenge’, in which teams from the bank took over one of the Hospice’s 16 shops for the day, competing against each other to see who could raise the most money.
The £17,600 raised by Secure Trust Bank will go towards Birmingham St Mary’s, which provides vital care and support to local families living with terminal illness across Birmingham and Sandwell.
Lord Forsyth, chairman at Secure Trust Bank, said: “Birmingham St Mary’s does an amazing job of supporting families living with terminal illness and our Solihull-based staff have shown real passion when it comes to supporting the work of the charity through fundraising and other means.
“As a responsible business we encourage our people to contribute to initiatives which make a positive contribution to local communities. Fundraising and volunteering during work time are all part of this and the charity committees at our different office locations do a tremendous job of driving this forward and supporting a range of local good causes.”
Tina Swani, chief executive at Birmingham St Mary’s, added: “£17,600 is an impressive amount of money and will make a big difference to the individuals and families we care for. It costs £8 million each year to run the Hospice – over half of which needs to come from voluntary funding – so we really do rely on the generosity of local people and businesses to ensure we can care for everyone that needs us, wherever they need us.
“Thank you to all the staff and trustees at Secure Trust Bank who have supported the Hospice over the last year – your help has been outstanding and will allow us to continue to provide our expert care at the Hospice, in people’s homes and in the local community.”
Every day, Birmingham St Mary’s supports 350 individuals across Birmingham and Sandwell. If you would like to become one of our corporate partners, please take a look here.
To find out more about Secure Trust Bank, visit their website.
