Close Brothers Motor Finance raises £34,000 for cancer charity

Close Brothers Motor Finance employees have raised £34,000 for Make-A-Wish and Cancer Research UK through a series of fundraising events this year.

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 social distancing measures and many people working from home, employees were challenged to think of alternative ways to raise money for charity.

Collectively, they held a series of fundraising initiatives including hosting an online quiz, a Halloween trick or treat challenge and shopping at a ‘Boo-Tique’ event.

Seán Kemple, managing director of Close Brothers Motor Finance, said: “2020 has been a challenging year for everyone, but the impact to charities has been significant. Our colleagues across the business didn’t let the challenges prevent them from safely conducting initiatives to raise funds for two extremely important charities.

“Our employees from teams across the UK have worked tirelessly across 2020, taking time to give back and raise this fantastic amount to support those in need.

"It’s so humbling and I couldn’t be prouder, nor more honoured to work alongside such brilliant people.”

The money raised was split between Make-A-Wish UK and Cancer Research UK – two important charities at the heart of the business. The £17,000 for Make-A-Wish will help to grant seven wishes for children living with a critical illness, while the £17,000 for Cancer Research UK could fund a research nurse for six months.

Close Brothers Motor Finance has supported Cancer Research UK for more than seven years through its annual charity initiatives.

During that time, the business has raised half a million pounds for the charity’s lifesaving work. 

The company's employees volunteered 824 hours of their time for charity initiatives in 2019. This beat the record of 818 hours last year, which in turn far surpassed the 2017 highs of 563 hours.

Employees at the company were challenged to think ‘what difference can you make’ in their local areas and were tasked with finding volunteering opportunities to support their communities.

They were collectively set a target of 700 hours of volunteering, which they surpassed, and Close Brothers Group pledged to donate an additional £8 per hour volunteered outside of office hours.

In total almost £40,000 was raised including £1,777 in match funding from Close Brothers.