£32k raised at charity lunch
LOCAL business people across Kirklees and Calderdale have together raised an incredible £32,050 through a Christmas lunch in aid of local children’s charities – a record breaking amount which smashed the initial target by 40%.
The third annual Kirklees & Calderdale Annual Christmas Lunch (KACCL) took place at the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield in aid of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice and The Orange Box choir, part of Square Chapel’s community outreach programme in Halifax.
Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice supports local children and families with life-shortening conditions across Kirklees, Calderdale, Wakefield and Manchester.
The Orange Box Choir at Square Chapel in Halifax, meanwhile, aims to bring together the schools and services across Calderdale, providing a platform for members to grow in confidence by expressing their musical talent in a safe place.
The lunch, sponsored by Huddersfield’s Crowther Chartered Accountants, was attended by 290 people from the local business community and kicked off with a drinks reception to break the ice, followed by a spectacular three course meal and charity auction.
Attendees also enjoyed entertainment by compere Pete Emmett, a heartfelt speech by Emma and Colin Harwood whose daughter has attended Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice for the past three years, as well as an uplifting performance by the Orange Box Choir.
Brave teenager Annabelle Riley, who is a member of the choir and battles a number of difficulties and requires full-time support, brought a tear to the eyes of all as she performed a truly moving and symbolic duet with her mother, Caroline.
The KACCL organising committee represents figures from local businesses across the region, which includes JR Group UK Ltd, Stafflex, Chadwick Lawrence, Faith PR, Eastwood & Partners, Brug Consultancy, Whimsical Events, Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, Hellomint, Cedar Court Hotels, Orange Box Young people’s centre and Crowther Chartered Accountants.
Steve Crowther, chairman of KACCL 2018, said: “For the third year running this has been another fantastic event for the local community. We are overwhelmed and delighted with the amount we were able to raise.
“On behalf of the committee, I’d like to extend a thank you to everyone who attended; including the many local businesses who generously provided their services and rallied around organising raffle and auction items. Every donation makes such a huge difference to each charity which support the young people and families in our local area.”
Luen Thompson, chief executive of Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, added: “Our hospice needs to be owned by the community it serves, and events like KACCL achieve exactly that.
“Not just in the money raised, but also in awareness of what we do and the difference we make, as well as the new relationships we are able to forge with local businesses.” N annual business fundraising event founded by a HR and employment law company has raised more than £8,000 to help place homeless people back into employment.
Cleckheaton-based Howarths raised £8,863.02 at its fourth annual Music Extravaganza on behalf of The Howarth Foundation at the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield.
More than 300 guests turned out at the event, which was attended by Olympic diving champions and The Howarth Foundation ambassadors, Lois Toulson and Jack Laugher MBE.
The funds will be used to support the work of The Howarth Foundation through its Business Building Futures programme, through which more than 20 businesses across Leeds and Kirklees currently provide training or employment to homeless or recently re-homed individuals.
Andy Howarth, CEO at The Howarth Foundation, said: “Once again, our annual music extravaganza was a huge success, with over 200 people attending to support our Business Building Futures initiative.”
Tracey Hopkins, finance and operations director at Howarths, added: “Our annual Music Extravaganza is vital to help raise the money we need to support homeless and recently re-homed people through the foundation. It helps us to get them off the streets, back on track and making a positive contribution to society.”
Earlier this year, The Howarth Foundation won the Big Heart charity category at The National Family Business Awards at Wembley Arena.