Arthur Rank Hospice Charity launches the Accumulator Challenge 2018 sponsored by Arm, this week. The initiative will appeal to locally-based companies and organisations who are creative, entrepreneurial, competitive and prepared to go the extra mile to make a real difference within their local community.
Kicking off on Monday 1 October and running until Monday 31 December, those who believe they have what it takes to step up to the mark, have 13 weeks to generate as much money as possible from an initial £50 investment from Arm. Companies, groups and organisations of all shapes and sizes are invited to sign up to the fun contest, with all the money raised ultimately being directed to patient care across the Hospice’s range of services.
This is the seventh year for the innovative fundraiser: in previous years competitors’ activities have included card making and selling by Studio 24, a Halloween fancy dress competition by Qualcomm, pumpkin carving competition and quiz by Quy Mill Hotel & Spa, packs of chocolate made especially to raise funds by Gourmet Brownie, Christmas party collections by The Royal Cambridge Hotel and Holiday Inn (Histon), a raffle and supermarket collection by the Cambridge 13th Cubs and a children’s golf competition at Cambridge Lakes.
An astounding grand total of £87,000 has been generated for the Hospice by the Accumulator Challenge, since it launched in 2011. The Charity is confident that Cambridgeshire’s businesses, groups and organisations have the ambition, innovation, and determination to make this a record-breaking year, and has set a collective fundraising target of £25,000.
Lynn Morgan, Chief Executive of Arthur Rank Hospice comments:
“We know Cambridgeshire is a bursting at the seams with talented businesses and entrepreneurial minds! We want employers and organisations’ leaders out there to challenge their staff to raise as much as they can. It’s a brilliant opportunity to showcase their talent, boost team morale and of course, raise vital funds for their local hospice.”
Andrew Samalionis of Gourmet Brownie took part in the Accumulator Challenge last year for the first time and explains his and his company’s motivations for signing up:
“In the middle part of last year, a good friend of ours needed to come to the Arthur Rank Hospice for two months. We were just really impressed with the care that everybody gave her, her family and even ourselves. You can look at the new Hospice building and think ‘it’s got the technology and all the environment that you need’ but the thing that struck us when we saw it first hand, was how it’s the people at the heart of it all: down to the hairdressers, the nursing staff, and the gardener. Just to be able to help continue that is a real privilege.”
Businesses, organisations and groups taking part design their own creative strategies to increase their £50: plans can be as outlandish as team members wish, providing they are safe and legal. Many participants chose to share updates on their activities via social media, generating good-natured banter with fellow Accumulator Challenge competitors and creating a wealth of positive content and publicity.
To sign up or find out more, please contact Corporate Fundraiser Andrea Murauskas on Andrea.Murauskas@arhc.org.uk or 01223 675882 or visit http://www.arhc.org.uk/accumulator-challenge.asp
Arthur Rank Hospice supports people in Cambridgeshire who are living with a life-limiting illness and those who need end-of-life care.
Services are provided free of charge to patients and their families, to help make every moment count.
The Charity needs to secure £8.1 million every year to deliver our services free of charge to patients and their loved ones. About half of this currently comes from statutory sources, with further funds raised thanks to the wider local community, whose support is critical in helping make every moment count.