Impressive £10,000 raised for Hospice through Apprentice challenge

The challenge saw three teams of Trust staff compete to raise money and stock for hospice shops in Newry, Banbridge and Dungannon for a day.

The teams demonstrated entrepreneurialism through a range of innovative fundraising techniques.

The Banbridge team had a number of trendy ‘pop-up shops’ in Trust premises and raised funds through a bag pack and raffles.

The Newry team had a live radio link with Five FM on the day; convinced good hearted local businesses to provide staff as live mannequins for the shop window; and arranged visits from the Down and Armagh Gaelic football teams.

In Dunganon the team arranged a ‘pop-up shop’ in the Trust and enlisted professional window dressers to prepare the shop for the day. The Mayor of Dungannon also dropped in to lend his support. The team would like to thank Jackie Wilson who donated a bag for raffle.

The event was organised as part of the ‘Trust in Community’ initiative where the Southern Trust works in partnership with the community and voluntary sector to address community issues.

Mairead McAlinden, Chief Executive of the Southern Trust says: “As well as being a fun event and personal challenge for the staff involved, we are delighted to have raised such a substantial sum for the Southern Area Hospice. I would like to congratulate all of the staff involved for throwing themselves into this task wholeheartedly and thank all of those in the local communities who so generously supported this cause.”

Ann Cooney, Chief Executive of Southern Area Hospice Services added: “We are delighted with the results of the ‘Apprentice Challenge’. Not only did the Trust staff involved raise a fantastic amount of money, but the project also helped to raise the profile of our Hospice shops in Newry, Banbridge and Dungannon. The teams showed impressive levels of creativity, initiative and enthusiasm which certainly paid off having raised £10,000. Thanks again go to the Trust and Business in the Community for choosing to work with the Southern Area Hospice.”

Hilary Hanberry, Volunteering Manager for Business in the Community’s Cares programme, adds: “The Trust is to be commended for its vision and commitment in enabling its staff to step outside their normal day-to-day work and take on this type of challenge. We know from experience that shops challenges have an enormous impact for the charities involved, in this case the Hospice, the local community and its own staff as they become more aware of the charity’s work and are able to work with other members of the organisation in a different environment.”