Staff at the Midlands office of national audit, tax and advisory firm Crowe Clark Whitehill have raised around £4,300 for their chosen charity, Teenage Cancer Trust.
And they have unanimously voted that their charity for 2014-15 will be Midlands Air Ambulance Charity.
Teenage Cancer Trust is dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for young people aged between 13 and 24 diagnosed with cancer.
The charity builds specialist units within NHS hospitals so that young people can be treated in a suitable environment, alongside other people their age.
Emily Cooper, Teenage Cancer Trust fundraiser for the West Midlands said, “The money raised by Crowe Clark Whitehill will help us make sure young people with cancer feel less alone and have access to local services they desperately need.”
Events ranged through a Christmas fair, Jumper Day and audit manager Chris Mould completing the Three Peaks Challenge – a walk up Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon, all in the space of 24 hours. The final event, a showing of the England v Costa Rica World Cup 0-0 draw, raised £350 – the only result of the night!
Crowe Clark Whitehill staff partner Dave Darlaston said: “Obviously cancer is a shattering blow at any age but somehow seems even more poignant when it afflicts young people with their whole lives ahead of them.
“It has been a great effort by the staff to have raised so much for such a worthy cause.
“This year we are delighted to be supporting Midlands Air Ambulance who are also involved in wonderful work.”
Midlands Air Ambulance Charity operates three air ambulances serving Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Worcestershire and the West Midlands. Since 1991, the charity has responded to more than 40,000 missions averaging eight missions per day, making it one of the longest established and busiest air ambulance organisations in the UK.
It receives no Government or National Lottery funding and has to raise in excess of £6.5 million a year to keep going.
Mr Darlaston said: “It is reckoned that if a patient reaches hospital within 60 minutes of injury, referred to as the “golden hour”, their chances of survival are dramatically increased. That is why the rapid response of the Midlands Air Ambulance Charity is so vital in an emergency situation.”
Sofia Voutianitis, corporate fundraising manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “We are extremely fortunate to have a great number of volunteers, fundraisers and supporters to assist us, and we are so pleased that Crowe Clark Whitehill will be one of them.
“Midlands Air Ambulance Charity would not be the great success it is today without such wonderful public support, hard work and dedication.”