FOUNDER’S FOREWORD
KEEP ON FIGHTING FOR TEESSIDE
QUIZ NIGHTS HIT £9,000 MARK Our massive thanks to Paul Card Recruitment who helped raise nearly £4,000 for local worthy causes when organising a quiz night fundraiser for a third successive year. Incredibly, quizzes organised for us by the Wynyard-based recruitment business have now raised £9,000.
This amazing charity will continue to go from strength-tostrength.
“We’re a proud Teesside-based company with staff who all live locally,” said Paul Card. “Our heart is in Teesside, and I have an ongoing commitment to give a percentage of our profits to local worthy causes.
As you’re probably aware, I’ve stepped down from my role as chairman of the Philanthropic Foundation following my election as Middlesbrough mayor.
“For me, none come more worthy than the Philanthropic Foundation, which does such incredible work on Teesside.
While it felt sad to break the ties, now that I’m mayor, it was absolutely right that I step away from any decision-making capacity within the charity. What’s more, I know that we have three experienced members of staff and a fantastic board of Trustees, who will continue to volunteer their time and skills to ensure the charity continues to thrive and do amazing things for Teesside.
“Organising the quiz allows us to raise some much-needed funds for the charity to share among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged Teessiders.” The organisers were grateful for match-funding from Barclays Middlesbrough. Auction donors included Racz Group, Wynyard Hall, University of Sunderland, Middlesbrough FC and Baird Group.
While my mayoral commitments will restrict my involvement with the Foundation, I’ll of course remain a firm supporter of the charity and all that it stands for. And I’m delighted to have been able to accept an offer to continue to front the charity whenever possible in my role as the Foundation’s founder. I’m incredibly proud to have set up the Foundation with my friend Tanya Garland of Cool Blue Brand Communications back in 2011. The charity has become a force for good on Teesside, bonding together a wide range of generous local businesses and individuals to work towards a joint cause of helping their fellow Teessiders. As a proud Teessider, I wanted to do some good for the place and people I love, and I was in the fortunate position to be able to do so. It’s really satisfying to know that the charity has raised more than £3 million for Teesside – and I’m thrilled that the vast majority of that has already been shared out among deserving community groups and charities. But the best thing is that I know that there’ll be no letting up without me as chairman. With so many amazing, generous and determined people behind it, I’m absolutely certain the Foundation will continue to do more and more incredible things for the people and worthy causes who most need our help right here on our Teesside doorstep. A big thank you to everyone who has backed me and the charity over the years. I can’t possibly tell you all individually how much I’ve appreciated that – so let me tell you here and now that it meant the world. And best of all we’ve achieved something truly remarkable for Teesside. This charity is the epitome of what makes this place special. As our slogan says, let’s keep on Fighting for Teesside Together!
ANDY PRESTON Founder
Paul Card presents the prizes to winning team Tees Business, watched by the Foundation’s Mandy Shields and quiz master Stephen Downey.
DREAM BIG FOR TEESSIDE
Are you up for a challenge? The next Big Tees Sleepout takes place on the evening of Friday, November 8 in the grounds of the beautiful Ormesby Hall in Middlesbrough. There’s no training needed for the latest of our sleepout events - but we do advise you to bring a sleeping bag, mat and warm clothes. There’ll be access to toilets and warm drinks throughout the night, but we can’t promise you a good night’s sleep! All funds raised will go towards fighting local poverty and homelessness. For more information or to sign up as an individual or group, visit www.bigteessidesleepout.co.uk
Published by: Middlesbrough & Teesside Philanthropic Foundation Editor: Dave Allan, DNA PR & Publicity Design: Viral Effect Photography: Doug Moody, Chris Booth, Tom Banks, Michelle Maddison, Martin Walker. Print: Quoin, Middlesbrough. Website: www.teessidecharity.org.uk Email: info@teessidecharity.org.uk Twitter: @teessidecharity Facebook: Teesside Charity
NEWS GARDEN PARTY FUNDRAISER
Andy Preston and Alisdair Beveridge joined organisers and guests at the Summer Garden Party.
The Great British weather held out when three of the Foundation’s Teesside Centurions joined forces to organise a Summer Garden Party. Guisborough-based supporters Alan Tickner, Morita Metcalfe and Doug Moody organised the event with the help of friends and family, raising more than £1,000 for the Foundation to share with worthy local causes. The Foundation’s founder Andy Preston was joined by Trustee Alisdair Beveridge, MD of our Patrons The Build Directory, in thanking the organisers and more than 60 guests for supporting the event, which was held in the garden of Morita and George Metcalfe’s. Sponsored by The Build Directory, First Choice Labels and Enfield Butchers, the garden party featured live music from band Fancy That, featuring friends Sarah Temple, Alan Tickner, Dave Smith and Jerry Temple, with background music from Ryan Metcalfe. The organisers also thanked Faith Moody and Olivia Mitchell, who ran a raffle, and Beryl Walton and Sue Gauchi, who ran a tombola, plus numerous local businesses who donated prizes. If you’d like to know more about becoming a Centurion, email diane.w@teessidecharity.org.uk or visit the Get Involved section of our website www.teessidecharity.org.uk
Fundraisers - Teesside Centurions and their partners.
RUNNERS SET TO MAKE IT GREAT The Philanthropic Foundation is set to have a record number of 50 fundraisers turning out for it in September’s Great North Run. Among those running the world’s biggest half marathon in Teesside colours are representatives of several of our Patrons including Barclays, px Group, Crystal Galleries, Hunters Estate Agents, The Build Directory, The Keys Yarm and Racz Group.
Guest - Sara Davies.
TV STAR IS OUR NEXT GUEST
A group of 12 family and friends are also set to tackle both the Middlesbrough Tees Pride 10k and Great North Run in memory of former Patron Russ Devereux, while Russ’s wife Catherine has signed up for next year’s London Marathon to raise further funds for both the Philanthropic Foundation and the Russ Devereux Headlight Project.
There’s still time to snap up places at our next Ladies’ Lunch when our special guest will be Sara Davies MBE, the new face of TV’s The Dragon’s Den.
NOTHING CAN STOP THEM
The event takes place on a new date of Thursday November 14 at Whinstone View, near Great Ayton, with arrival and drinks reception from 11.30am.
Total Warriors! That’s the fantastic four who took part in a Total Warrior challenge to raise funds in memory of our late friend, Russ Devereux.
Sara launched Crafter’s Companion from her university bedroom but the business now turns over £34 million and employs 190 staff. Tickets, priced £35 each, include a welcome drink and two-course meal with wine.
Martyn Pullin, Lianne Maidman, Jenny Shield and Helen Snell raised around £650 By tackling a series of daunting challenges featuring a lot of mud, water, fire and obstacles! They raised funds for the Russ Devereux Headlight Project to help provide counselling services for local children in crisis.
Contact mandy.s@teessidecharity.org.uk to book
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REMEMBERING RUSS The memory of our late friend and ace golfer Russ Devereux inspired an incredible fundraiser when more than £15,000 was raised in a tournament at Middlesbrough Golf Club. A total of 34 teams took part – many representing Patrons of the Philanthropic Foundation – in a competition sponsored by Devereux Transport and Distribution, the company Russ ran until he sadly took his own life last year. With additional support from Caswells, the tournament means Russ’s wife Catherine has been able to set up a community interest company to enable the Russ Devereux Headlight Project to provide counselling to children across many more Teesside schools.
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Meanwhile, the performance – at least by some – was definitely under par, but the fundraising at the Philanthropic Foundation’s Annual Golf Day at Rockliffe Hall was the charity version of a holein-one. We raised almost £5,500 for worthy causes on Teesside. Sponsoring our hole-in-one competition were our Patrons RMB Automotive, while we were grateful to Barclays in Middlesbrough and Sunderland for their match-funding. A big thank you also to three more of our Patrons - Acklam Hall for donating prizes, Endeavour Partnership for being 18th hole sponsor and PX for being 1st hole sponsor. A further £610 raised from the envelope draw went to the Russ Devereux Headlight Project. Our pictures by Doug Moody show action from the two competitions.
Funny fundraising - Shonette Bason-Wood entertains at Acklam Hall.
WHAT A LAUGH! The hilarious Shonette Bason-Wood took centre stage as our patrons Acklam Hall hosted our first ever Comedy Night – with £3,315 raised for Teesside worthy causes. Performing in her Middlesbrough hometown, Shonette’s show, Happiness Injection, took 100 guests on a flight of delight, tickling their ribs with stories, songs and dancing!
The night was generously sponsored by Acklam Hall with matchfunding from Barclays Middlesbrough, with attendees including First Choice Labels, and Castlegate Shopping Centre. £565 of the funds raised were donated to Shonette’s own charity, Spreading the Happiness, to combat holiday hunger among Teesside schoolchildren.
They landed safely amused and entertained but disembarked armed with lasting tools to maintain their own well-being.
ALL SET FOR TEESSIDE’S SOCIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR A Who’s Who of Teesside’s leading companies have booked tables for our sell-out fundraising Charity Ball in October – in association with First Choice Labels, who are generously headline sponsoring the event for a second successive year. Last year more than 550 local businesses and Teesside people raised a record-breaking £78,000 for some of the region’s most disadvantaged families – and we’re hoping to go beyond £80,000 this time around! Held in the Grand Marquee at Wynyard Hall, Active Chartered Financial Planners are also backing the Ball as Wine Sponsor. Other patrons attending include Endeavour Partnership, Bulkhall, InBond, Anderson Barrowcliff, PX Group, Castlegate Shopping Centre, Archers Law, Vitality Dental, Forman Vehicle Services, Barclays Middlesbrough, Crystal Galleries, Erimus Insurance Brokers, AV Dawson, Caswells, The
On the ball - First Choice Labels are again sponsoring our Charity Ball.
Build Directory, Square One Law, Racz Group, Cool Blue Brand Communications, Ian and Adrienne Stark, and Devereux Transport and Distribution. Wilton Engineering, Fairfield Industries and Marton Electrical, companies associated with our individual patrons, have also booked tables, along with many of our friends.
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR TEESSIDE Generosity knows no bounds among Teesside businesses – and it’s not just those who have committed to support our Foundation as Patrons. Dozens of other local companies support our charity in a variety of ways – and we’re always looking for more to get involved! Here, we take a look at some of our amazing supporters... Francis Brown managing director Mark Roddy with the Foundation’s Diane Williamson.
Could your firm come up with a novel way to fundraise for us? Whether it’s a golf day, quiz night, sleepout or a novel fundraiser, so many step forward to make a difference. For instance, the great people at Wynyard Hall have made the Philanthropic Foundation their chosen charity for the year – and they’ll be hosting our celebration garden party this summer. Darlington-based We Do HR, who have many clients across Teesside, raised nearly £4,000 through their annual golf day, while tech specialists Intelect raised £750 at their own golf event towards our support for the Russ Devereux Headlight Project, while donating an equal amount to mental health charity Mind. Big hit - We Do HR’s golf day raised £4,000.
As Tiger Roll rewarded favourite backers at Aintree, we were quids-in too, as a Grand National sweepstake organised by engineering and fabrications firm Francis Brown at Stockton Rugby Club netted £2,000 for our charity (pictured top). The sweepstake itself raised £400 and that figure was matched by Francis Brown and three other super-kind companies - JJ Hardy, CL Prosser and IMH - after they heard about our work and of our Caravan of Love for the use of Teesside’s most disadvantaged families. You can read elsewhere in this issue how Paul Card Recruitment organise an annual quiz night fundraiser that’s brought in £9,000 in three years, while staff at the Wilton Group – owned by one of our individual patrons, Bill Scott – got involved in something altogether different when they took part in a “tough mudder” competition to raise £2,500.
Muddy marvels - Wilton Group staff.
• We’d love to hear from you if your firm would like to support our charity by organising a fundraiser. Contact: mandy.s@teessidecharity.org.uk
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GENEROUS WITH THEIR MONEY AND TIME There can be no doubting the generosity of all of the local businesses that support our charity as Patrons. They each donate at least £5,000 a year to our Foundation – and some give us much, much more. Others have boosted their initial donation through a series of imaginative fundraising events – and we’re throwing down the gauntlet to our Patrons to see what can be done next.
Skydive - Nigel Willis of First Choice Labels.
Let’s take a look at some of the awesome fundraising efforts our superstar Patrons have completed. A team of 25 saddle-sore staff from Middlesbrough firm AV Dawson raised more than £10,000 for charity via a 210-mile cycle challenge from Edinburgh to Teesside. The funds were channelled through our charity to the Buddy Bag Foundation to provide a bag of emergency essentials for children moving into temporary accommodation following family crisis. Our friends at Redcar-based First Choice Labels – sponsors of our Charity Ball for the last two years – went to great heights to go beyond the fundraising call of duty, completing a skydive that raised nearly £2,000. Staff from one of our longest-serving Patrons, Cool Blue Brand Communications, gave up their beds for the night to take part in our Big Tees Sleepout – and, just as importantly, made a huge effort in encouraging friends and colleagues to sponsor them, raising more than £3,000 in the fight against local poverty and homelessness.
Riders - the team from AV Dawson.
And a team from Vitality Dental also stepped out of their comfort zones soon after their firm had become patrons of our Foundation last year, raising £1,700 through the sleepout. But perhaps it’s Mandale Group who have proved themselves to be most imaginative with their fundraising escapades – an all-day fast raised £3,500, while their own team skydive brought in an incredible £6,400. And that’s without including the amazing efforts of Mandale’s Harriet Spalding, who raised a wonderful £5,600 by climbing Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro. Harriet overcame gale force winds, altitude sickness, exhaustion and temperatures plummeting to minus 20 to reach Kilimanjaro’s 5,895m summit at the end of a six-day trek through rain forests and mountainous terrain. • So here’s our challenge to our Patrons – can you come up with new fundraising events involving your staff, customers and suppliers? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch with mandy.s@teessidecharity.org.uk Peak - Mandale’s Harriet Spalding climbed Kilimanjaro.
Aiming high - Mandale staff completed a skydive.
Dreamers - Vitality Dental took part in the Big Tees Sleepout.
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CREATING A SAFE PLACE FOR KIDS Visit by: Lee Bramley, Endeavour Partnership St Bede’s Catholic Academy in Stockton is no ordinary school. Such is the national reputation for a school affectionately nicknamed Little Bede’s that it has featured on BBC’s Panorama on how its children from disadvantaged backgrounds constantly outperform schools with many more advantages. The school also offers in-house counselling services to its most vulnerable children – including speech and language therapy, play therapy and child psychotherapy, designed to help prevent children and families falling into crisis. The Foundation stepped in with a £1,500 donation to help refurbish the school’s counselling and occupational therapy rooms, creating a calm, safe, child-friendly environment where inner worries can be shared. Lee Bramley, the new managing partner of our patrons Endeavour Partnership and the Foundation’s new chair of trustees, paid a visit to St Bede’s to see the newly renovated counselling room and hear more about this amazing school.
CHARITY CH
OUR PATRONS VISITING TEE MAGICAL MEMORY MAKER Visit by: Nathan Jackson, Bulkhaul The hard working lot at North Ormesby Resource Centre are enjoying some magic moments with the Teessiders they look after at their dementia day care centre. Thanks to £2,200 from the Philanthropic Foundation, they’ve been able to invest in a ‘Magic Table’ which aims to get everyone talking, reacting, reminiscing - and recapturing precious lost memories by helping to stimulate the senses in a fun and interactive way. Nathan Jackson from our generous patrons Bulkhaul paid a visit to North Ormesby to meet regulars and see this fantastic piece of equipment for himself. “Many of our service users have advanced dementia and struggle with everyday tasks but we found they could interact with the table,” they told us. “For many it ‘lit a switch’ allowing them to capture memories in a safe and friendly atmosphere.”
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HAMPIONS
ESSIDE COMMUNITY GROUPS
A £1,500 NET GAIN Visit by Emma Foxley, Archers Law Allstars Netball Club prides itself on giving girls and ladies a chance to play netball, regardless of age or ability. And we were delighted to give the club a financial boost. Allstars, who play in the Teesside Netball League, received £1,500 in our Golden Giveaway which supports the very best community groups and charitable organisations on Teesside. The club has members aged five to 80 and 10 teams. And with sponsors and backers vital to Allstars in meeting the cost of kit, equipment, court and umpire fees and various courses, we were only too happy to give the club a helping hand as they continue to provide a brilliant sporting and social outlet in our area. Emma Foxley of our patrons Archers Law paid a visit to meet the Allstars and hear about the impact of our donation.
RAISE A CUPPA TO RUBIES Visit by Trudi Chapman, Cool Blue Brand Communications Rubies was set up in response to a claim from charity Plan International, which published research concluding that Middlesbrough was the worst place in the UK to grow up as a girl. Rubies aim to challenge that stigma by helping girls aged 10 to 15 by increasing confidence, building resilience and making safe future choices. Kicking off with a weekly girls’ group in South Bank followed by a pilot project in South Bank Primary School, Rubies ran a course designed to address issues around self-esteem, aspiration and vulnerability. And we were delighted to provide them with £1,000 towards running Rubies Cafe, a 10-week course with one-to-one mentoring, a hot meal and access to laptops for homework. Pictured paying Rubies a visit is Trudi Chapman from our long-term patrons Cool Blue Brand Communications.
Top: Nathan Jackson with regulars at North Ormesby Resource Centre. Centre left: Endeavour Partnership’s Lee Bramley with school head Bernadette Rizzi-Allan in the refurbished therapy room at St Bede’s Catholic Academy in Stockton. Centre right: Emma Foxley with members of the Allstars Netball Club. Bottom: Trudi Chapman of Cool Blue at Rubies Café.
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TEESSIDE HEROES
Every month the Foundation presents Teesside Hero Awards to unsung community champions – volunteers who go beyond the call of duty to help the most disadvantaged Teessiders. Each of them receives £1,000 to donate to a Teesside worthy cause of their choice. Here, we find out which causes our Heroes asked us to support…
TEESSIDE HERO
TEESSIDE HERO
TEESSIDE HERO
Lyndsey Peters
Shazia Noor
Amjid Khazir
Donated £1,000 to: Whale Hill Community Centre
Shared £1,000 between: One Umar and Priory Woods School
Donated £1,000 to: Media Cultured
Background: Mum-of-two Lyndsey asked for a
Background: Shazia, a mother-of-three who runs a
donation to be put into Whale Hill Community Centre to
women-only fitness programme for the Black, Asian
Award, we donated £1,000 to Media Cultured, an
fund more initiatives for the people of Eston after being
and Ethnic Minority community, asked the Foundation
honoured for her volunteer work running programmes at
to share £1,000 between Middlesbrough-based charity
the centre including a food bank, day trips and a clothes
One Umar, dedicated to feeding homeless Teessiders
rail providing children’s clothes and school uniforms for
at Breckon Hill Community Centre, and Priory Woods
struggling families.
School and Art College for those with disabilities.
Presented by: Jo Lowes, Crystal Galleries
Presented by: Lisa Preston, Hunters Estate Agents
Background: As a result of Amjid’s Teesside Hero anti-extremism organisation the Middlesbrough-born Muslim set up in memory of his uncle who lost his life in a racially-linked attack. The education and training social enterprise has received glowing reviews at home and abroad for spreading a positive message of social unity, working with schools, the police and professional football clubs, and running workshops and mosque visits as well as producing documentaries. Presented by: Andy Preston, Foundation Founder
TEESSIDE HERO
TEESSIDE HERO
TEESSIDE HERO
Susan Gill
Jane Thistlethwaite
Matthew Stamp
Donated £1,000 to: Middlesbrough Homeless Café
Donated £1,000 to: Supporting Kinship Carers
Donated £1,000 to: Middlesbrough Sea Cadets TS Erimus
Background: Susan’s Teesside Hero Award has
a support group so grandparents bringing up young
resulted in a £1,000 boost to the Homeless Café she set up and runs on Princes Road in Middlesbrough. There, Susan and fellow volunteers serve home-cooked meals to homeless, benefit-sanctioned and vulnerable people five days a week. The café’s volunteers include two inmates awaiting parole from Kirklevington Grange Prison, supporting 500 weekly clients.
Presented by: Ian and Adrienne Stark
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Background: Generous grandmother Jane set up children can enjoy a valuable social outlet. Jane gave up her caretaker job to look after her two granddaughters with husband Manny as the children’s parents were no longer able to raise them due to addiction problems. She was presented with a cheque for £1,000 which will be put, along with a £2,000 donation from Unite, towards
Background: Once a 13-year-old cadet, Matthew is now commanding officer of Middlesbrough Sea Cadets, helping to provide adventure, skills and opportunity for young cadets. Based by the lake in Albert Park, the cadets faced disaster when their premises were flooded last year – but Matthew worked tirelessly to rescue what he could before going on a recruitment
the group’s August trip to Blackpool.
drive for new volunteer staff and cadets.
Presented by: Phil Lyons, InBond
Presented by: Andy Preston, Foundation Founder
IT’S GOOD TO TALK
All those who knew him felt a huge sense of shock and loss when Russ Devereux took his own life in May 2018. Here, our PR man and editor Dave Allan talks to Catherine Devereux about her husband, who ran the family-owned Billingham business that remains our loyal Patron, Devereux Transport and Distribution. Catherine has launched the Russ Devereux Headlight Project in his memory, to deliver emotional resilience programmes for children in Teesside schools.
Can you tell us about Russ as a husband and dad? He was a gorgeous husband and he was completely devoted as a dad - the girls adored him. He was loving, loyal, kind, smart and modest. He also had a cracking sense of humour, helped by working in an office full of truck drivers. What did running Devereux Transport mean to Russ? It was the family business, so it was part of him. His granddad set it up from a handcart and Russ had followed in his dad’s footsteps. He had a duty for it to be successful and it was a huge responsibility, given it had grown to the size it had in recent years and people relied on the business for their livelihoods. Can you describe the impact of losing Russ? No words can describe the pain that you feel when you lose somebody who you love as much as we loved him and was such a central part of our family. It is devastating. I never expected I would be in this position because Russ was a wellbalanced guy - we had a lovely lifestyle, a happy marriage, we were really lucky. I will never get over losing him but this is now my reality and I know I have to walk a path without him, as hard as that is to deal with. Do you feel what happened to Russ shows why it’s important people are encouraged to talk when they are stressed? Russ was the last person you’d expect to take his own life because he always managed stress well. But this one incident that happened at work and sadly resulted in someone losing their life had a catastrophic impact on him, because of the responsibility he felt. We didn’t realise how poorly he had become and in such a short space of time, a matter of days.
Family man - Russ Devereux with wife Catherine, who has launched a children’s counselling project in his memory.
respected but I don’t think he realised. The support people have given me has helped in my ongoing recovery, especially Maxine Alton, a counsellor who was recommended to me via a friend of Rob Crake’s. She helped me through those first months and saw me at my very worst. In those early days there was a point when I thought I couldn’t carry on without him but we have three girls who bring me such joy and I knew I had to carry on for them. How did you come to decide on the Headlight Project as a suitable project in Russ’s memory? I knew I wanted to do something with the Philanthropic Foundation because Russ loved the work they did. Working within an academy trust, head teachers told me there was a desperate need for child counselling but often not the necessary budget. I couldn’t have done it without the help of my counsellor Maxine. To start with, we’ve worked with up to ten schools but we’re looking to open it out to more schools very soon. To make a donation to the Russ Devereux Headlight Project, visit www.teessidecharity.org.uk and click the Donate button.
Many of those who’ll read this article will have stressful situations in their working lives. Is there a key message you want to give to them? My message is especially for men, who internalise a lot of these things. They don’t talk like women do. Russ wouldn’t have picked up the phone to speak to someone. So my message would be to talk about those things that cause anxiety or stress so you can get help. Don’t feel ashamed to admit you might not be coping. Despite your grief, were you moved at just how much affection and respect there was for Russ from so many people? I want to thank everyone who attended his funeral. I was so grateful for the time they took to be there. I knew he was well
Smiles - Children and counsellors launch the Russ Devereux Headlight Project.
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HEADING FOR THE TOP. A world bronze medallist rower, a talented wheelchair footballer and a cross-country running champion led the way as the Philanthropic Foundation’s FAST Fund handed out more than £14,000 in grants for some of Teesside’s most talented sportspeople. Our FAST Fund – Financial Assistance for Sportspeople on Teesside – exists to support the aspirations and challenges of Teessiders who can benefit from additional funding to help them reach the top in their chosen sport. Olympic dreams - rower Beth Bryan. Picture: Martin Walker.
Among the donations were:
• Eve Ovington - £900 towards canoe slalom international racing fees in Czech Republic and Slovakia for 15-year-old from Saltburn.
• Beth Bryan - £2,000 to support Stockton 26-year-old’s dreams of rowing for Great Britain at the 2020 Olympics as she returns to fitness after a year out of action, during which time she lost her Lottery Funding despite having previously won world and European bronze medals as part of the women’s quadruple squad.
• Charlie Myers - £750 towards physiotherapy for Marton-based 22-year-old pole vaulter who has just smashed the British under-23 record whilst competing in Geneva, Switzerland, achieving the qualifying height for the World Championships.
• James Found - £2,000 towards the purchase of a specialised wheelchair to allow 12-year-old James, from Seamer, to take part in the fast-paced sport of powerchair football, despite living with the degenerative muscle-wasting condition of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Other winners included: Jack Campbell (Kick Boxing, £600), Jacob Hammond (Ice Hockey, £750), Adam Harrison (Ice Hockey, £500),
• Josh Cowperthwaite - £1,200 towards equipment and travel costs for Acklam-based England international cross-country runner who represented Great Britain at the World Cross Country Championships in March.
Kelly-Jo Robson (Weightlifting, £965), Perry Gardner (Swimming, £1,000), Faye Rogers (Swimming, £720) Hannah Raine (Netball, £1,000).
• Max Fagan - £500 towards the Coulby Newham family’s costs of the 15-year-old Middlesbrough player’s monthly trips to Peterborough to train with the national roller hockey squad.
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To find out more about the FAST Fund visit:
www.fastfung.org.uk
IT’S GOOD TO GIVE THE BENEFITS OF BEING A PATRON OF OUR CHARITY
“There’s nothing else in Teesside that gives you this kind of front row seat to really make a difference as an individual and business owner.”
you see the real difference you can make to other people’s lives. That is a compelling reason to keep giving.
So says Alisdair Beveridge, managing director of Teesside firm The Build Directory when explaining why his company are generous Patrons of the Philanthropic Foundation, donating £5,000 a year to the cause.
“Of course, there’s also the promotion of your corporate social responsibility around your brand, while it’s naturally good that your employees know that their company supports local causes.”
The Foundation has around 50 Patrons – local businesses and wealthy individuals who make a considerable annual donation to the Foundation, helping raise £3 million since 2011 to enable us to change lives on Teesside.
Another Trustee, Harriet Spalding of Mandale Group, adds: “There’s a list of reasons why a company should be a Patron of the Foundation.
Their donations are reinvested into the community, helping those in need. But being a Patron isn’t just about the donation – our Patrons get Duty – Alisdair Beveridge. involved with the funding application decisions, present the cheques and awards to our Teesside Heroes and Golden Giveaway winners. Our Patrons are recognised in our newsletters and receive positive press and social media coverage of their support. “I think there are what could be called selfish reasons and selfless reasons for being a Patron,” says Alisdair, who is also one of the charity’s Trustees. “Giving is good, of course. As a business, being connected with a philanthropic group and being known as a generous company is good for the soul, but I think we have a moral duty to give something back too. “And supporting charities and worthy causes through the Foundation is good for the whole team – I make sure my staff know that they are the people who make our support for the charity possible.” Fellow Trustee David Henderson, a director of Teesside-based px Group, says the company was keen to get involved as a local business with local staff but they “bought into” the charitable movement when they saw the difference their support made.
Compelling – David Henderson.
He said: “When you see the type of work the Foundation does and the people it helps,
“First and foremost, it’s such a worthy cause, while you know where the money is going and can physically see the impact our donations Engaging – Harriet Spalding. make. We get publicity from our involvement, there are networking opportunities, it engages our staff through the fundraising events we get involved in and it falls in line with our corporate social responsibilities. “And one of the key reasons why we joined was that we were being inundated with requests for donations. Now rather than having to personally vet each request, we can simply point them in the direction of the Philanthropic Foundation.” As a personal Patron with his wife Adrienne, fellow Trustee Ian Stark agrees that seeing where the money goes on a local level is particularly satisfying. “There is a real feel good factor associated with Joy - Ian Stark. seeing people’s lives changing for the better – whether that’s helping them come off drugs or creating job opportunities for them,” he says. “For me, the great joy - the one great thing – about being a Patron is meeting the wonderful people who volunteer and give up their time to make a difference for those less fortunate than themselves. That’s very special.” If you are interested in becoming a Patron please get in touch with Diane Williamson at the Foundation to find out more. Email diane.w@teessidecharity.org.uk
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OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY Some of our newest Patrons have been out and about visiting the charities and worthy causes we’ve supported. Here’s a round-up of just four of the visits.
HELPING VOLUNTEERS GET ON THEIR BIKES Visit by: Julie Dalzell and Michael Shuker, Square One Law £5,000-worth of tyres are helping to keep a potentially lifesaving blood transportation service on the road – and representatives of our Patrons Square One Law met up to hear more about this amazing voluntary group. Bloodrun Emergency Voluntary Service provides a free out-of-hours motorcycle transportation service to move blood, medicines and other vital products between hospitals across the Tees region. Bloodrun won the £5,000 donation from the Philanthropic Foundation when topping a Golden Giveaway public poll by just 15 votes from more than 2,500 cast.
Square One Law’s Julie Dalzell and Michael Shuker with Bloodrun EVS representatives at Stockton’s landmark Infinity Bridge.
Unsurprisingly, the bikes go through a lot of tyres – they covered 78,000 miles last year, while a set of tyres lasts about 2,500 miles. The donation enabled Bloodrun to buy a stock of tyres at a discounted rate and keep their bikes on the road at all times.
THIS MAKES SENSE Visit by: Jo McDonald, The Hambleton Group Children are the future - so we were absolutely delighted when Priory Woods School and Arts College won £1,500 in one of our charity’s Golden Giveaways to help develop a sensory garden for their pupils to enjoy. Priory Woods is an all-age community special school in the Netherfields area of east Middlesbrough. It provides a quality and inclusive education for pupils with severe learning difficulties, and those with profound and multiple needs. A focus is put on the children learning in a fun and creative environment including play, outdoor learning, physical activities and community visits.
Jo McDonald of The Hambleton Group visits the sensory garden at Priory Woods School.
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The cash helped to buy hard landscaping and garden materials. Jo McDonald from our Patrons, The Hambleton Group, paid a visit and thought the results and happy smiling faces looked fantastic!
MAKING OUR SUPPORT CRYSTAL CLEAR Visit by: Jo Lowes, Crystal Galleries Scouting about! Some of our loyal Patrons put their best foot forward and paid a visit to Philanthropic Foundation-backed Synthonia Scouts Group to see them in action as they offer fun, adventure and life skills to their young members. Billingham-based Synthonia Scouts Group celebrated their 90th anniversary last year - and banked a belated celebration as they won £2,000 via our Golden Giveaway. The self-funded and volunteer-led group has more than 80 members aged six to 16 - comprising beavers, cubs and scouts. And their Golden Giveaway money has been put entirely towards their efforts to buy a new minibus so that Synthonia Scouts can continue to get out and about and offer fun times, education and social development.
Jo Lowes of Crystal Galleries chats to members of Synthonia Scouts Group.
Jo Lowes of Crystal Galleries was joined on the visit by fellow patron representatives Anthony Suddes of AV Dawson, Andrew Rowe of Baldwins Accountants, Ken Devereux of Devereux Transport & Distribution and Dave Nicholson of the Nicholson Group.
Racz Group’s Angela Woodward and Shirley Moss take a look at a neonatal unit welcome box with representatives of Leo’s and James Cook University Hospital.
A BIG WELCOME ALL-ROUND Visit by: Shirley Moss and Angela Woodward, Racz Group Leo’s is a Yarm-based charity that cares for families during preterm and traumatic labour at the neonatal unit and beyond. And when Leo’s won a £1,000 share of Golden Giveaway money, they used it to fund more of their “welcome boxes”. Each lovingly created and including a onesie, bespoke milestone cards, neonatal journal, hand and foot ink printing kit, photo frame,
Winnie the Pooh book, canteen voucher, hand cream, lip balm – and even two tea bags “for those times when you need to take a moment”. Angela Woodward and Shirley Moss of our newest Patrons, the Racz Group – owners of a £30m Teesside business covering Costa and Domino’s Pizza franchises – paid a visit to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough to see how the welcome boxes help those who’ve endured a premature or traumatic birth.
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Our Patrons The generosity and commitment of the Foundation’s Trustees and Patrons is helping to shine a spotlight on Teesside for all the right reasons - from willingness to give, to the strength of our private sector and the area’s ambitions for a more positive future. Thank you to every one of them.
Our Trustees Lee Bramley, Paul Davison, Emily Bentley, Karl Pemberton, Harriet Spalding, Ian stark, Alisdair Beveridge, David Henderson.
Registered Charity Number 1140740