Dave Allan of Tees Business (front right)
with Bloodrun volunteer Chad Jackson (with
motorbike) and Teesside Hospice staff Tricia
Boynton, Penny McReady, Dr Dean Jacobs and
Julie Copley, as they receive iPad minis for use
by patients during the coronavirus crisis.
CHARITY
Covid donors
are the business
T
A Tees Business appeal at the height of the Covid crisis resulted
in a group of big-hearted local firms making generous donations
of more than £5,500 in the fight against coronavirus.
ees Business joined forces with local charity
Teesside Philanthropic Foundation to back an
appeal to fund the purchase of iPad minis for Covid
wards in Teesside hospitals, hospices and care
homes to allow patients to stay in touch and, in
some cases, say their last goodbyes to family and friends.
Such was the appeal’s success that the foundation was
able to direct surplus funds from the iPad appeal to other
Covid-related causes including PPE for frontline workers
and shopping vouchers for Teesside families struggling to
put food on the table during the crisis.
Tees Business not only donated the funds to purchase
two iPad minis – but directors Dave Allan and Martin
Walker also put out an appeal to their clients that resulted
in an incredible response from local businesses.
Following the Tees Business call to action, further
donations came in from local firms Cornerstone Business
Solutions, Baines Jewitt Chartered Accountants, Group
Industrial, UKSE, IMH, SABIC, ESCS, Wilton Centre,
Jacksons Law Firm and HR Alchemy, with businessmen
Dominic Lusardi and James Pennington also helping out.
Dave, who also looks after the charity’s PR, approached
a locally-based National Lottery winner who donated more
than £13,000 more to be shared between the iPad appeal,
a shopping vouchers appeal for vulnerable local families
and other important Covid-19-related issues.
It’s all gone into a pot that had already been boosted by
several generous firms and individuals including PD Ports,
px Group, Communicate Technology and Racz Group.
Cornerstone also joined forces with the anonymous
Lottery winner to provide devices at cost for distribution
to care homes and other charities around Hartlepool.
Dave said: “Teesside is a special place, full of givers
and truly generous companies – and this proves it.
“Even when they themselves were suffering amid a
crisis that continues to affect us all, these amazing local
companies and the people behind them were ready and
willing to dig deep to help others.
“It was something Martin and I really had to do. The
Philanthropic Foundation is a charity close to our hearts.
We’re proud to back them as members of their Infant
Hercules Charity Club and this was a chance to do our
bit in the local fight against coronavirus.”
Debbie Coulson, Teesside’s Hospice’s head of
fundraising and marketing, said: “We were delighted to
receive the iPads which are being used in our in-patient
unit.
“The iPads are a vital link for our patients to their
families and we are really grateful for this generous
donation and the difference it has made to the hospice.”
The iPads were delivered to the hospitals and
hospices by volunteers from local charity Bloodrun, with
Stockton firm iStation selling the devices at cost with no
charge for configuring them ready for use, while also
inscribing the logos of the companies on the back
of the iPads.
Donations – of any size, large or small – can be made to the Philanthropic
Foundation’s ongoing coronavirus appeal by clicking on the ‘Donate’ button
on the charity’s website teessidecharity.org.uk
The voice of business in the Tees region | 79