60 | Tees Business CHARITY FEATURE
Ramsdens CEO Peter Kenyon with representatives from Butterwick Hospice and Teesside Hospice .
Shirt takeover boosts two Tees charities
A
football shirt “ takeover ” has helped to boost the coffers of two well-known Tees charities .
Middlesbrough FC shirt sponsors Ramsdens , the local jeweller and currency provider , gave their name up for one game , against Reading at the Riverside , as they helped to raise more than £ 18,000 , shared between Teesside Hospice and Butterwick Hospice .
Ramsdens dedicated the shirt sponsorship , plus profits from the sale of players ’ shirts , bucket collections and a Boro Legends Sportsman ’ s Dinner , to celebrate the work of these two important local charities .
The dinner proved to be a huge success for Butterwick Hospice and Teesside Hospice , starring special guests Mark Proctor , Steve Vickers , Andy Campbell and Alan Peacock .
Ramsdens CEO Peter Kenyon said : “ Ramsdens were pleased to support both Butterwick Hospice and Teesside Hospice and we are immensely proud to have been
Charity sets sights on £ 1m milestone
The Finlay Cooper Fund has set its sights on hitting a £ 1m fundraising milestone . The charity was set up by former Middlesbrough player Colin Cooper and his wife Julie , after they lost their son in a tragic choking accident shortly before his second birthday .
Lee Bramley , partner with law firm Endeavour Partnership , is a trustee of the charity , along with Nick Waites from accountants CP Waites and former Boro commercial director Graham Fordy .
“ I got involved in the charity to help Colin and Julie do some good in memory of Finlay ,” said Lee .
“ I never imagined we ’ d still be going strong all these years later , having raised £ 600,000 to date .
“ But now would be the worst time to stop – because we think raising £ 1m sounds even better !
Middlesbrough FC shirt sponsor since 2010 .
“ We couldn ’ t have been more pleased to donate this sponsorship to raise awareness of the great work both Butterwick Hospice and Teesside Hospice do .
“ The shirts were very well received at the match , with Boro fans donating to the two charities through bucket collections , text to win schemes and our eBay auctions , where fans could bid on the special edition shirts . It was fantastic to see .”
Maureen Thompson , chief executive at Teesside Hospice , said : “ We are very grateful for the opportunity given to us by Ramsdens to raise awareness of our vital work in the
Finlay Cooper Fund trustee Lee Bramley says the charity hopes to top the £ 1m fundraising mark via the forthcoming Dragonfly Ball .
“ Money raised by the charity goes to many individual children ’ s causes , along with local children ’ s hospices and similar organisations .”
To aid its new target , the Finlay Cooper Fund has embarked on a series of new fundraising events , including the fifth biennial Dragonfly Ball , which is being held in the Marquee at Wynyard Hall , on Friday June 15 . local community . Support from businesses like Ramsdens and Middlesbrough FC ensures that we can continue this work .”
Debbie Jones , chief executive at Butterwick Hospice , added : “ Football is a large part of every community and touches the lives of people of all ages . Our hospice services mirror that and having the opportunity to raise awareness of our charity within the local community is vital to our work .”
For more information on the great work these charities do , visit www . butterwick . org . uk or www . teessidehospice . org
It ’ s a black-tie event , with a threecourse meal , live music from the Phat Tyrtles and all the usual live auctions and raffle prizes to be won .
Tables of 10 are available for £ 795 each , or individual tickets at £ 80 each , and can be reserved by emailing events @ finlaycooperfund . co . uk