Christmas came early to a local hospice when it received a funds boosting giant cheque from Anglia’s leading housebuilder.
At their annual Christmas dinner, Persimmon Homes handed over £13,292.50 to the East Coast Hospice Charity, raised by Persimmon staff who completed the Three Peaks Challenge.
The 13 intrepid employees – including managing director Andy Fuller – took on the gruelling 24 hour adventure back in July 5 and set themselves a target of raising £10,000.
But at last Friday’s dinner, Mr Fuller was delighted to be able to present the hospice with much more than they had hoped.
He said: “We are thrilled with how much money we raised for the hospice, and hopefully it has come as an early Christmas present. We know what a worthwhile charity it is and what a brilliant job it does for the community.”
Angie Buxton-King, principle fundraiser at the hospice, said she was delighted with such a generous donation.
She said: “This is the first time the group has supported the independent charity’s appeal which recently completed on the five acre site in Gorleston.
“ECH has full planning permission for a 10-bedroom inpatient hospice and day care centre to serve the Great Yarmouth and Waveney area and we are delighted to have the support of Persimmon Homes who plan to build in the near future in Gorleston, making them close neighbours of the hospice.
“The money raised will contribute to the £4million capital campaign with building work planned to begin in 2016.”
The 24-hour Three Peaks Challenge saw the Persimmon team climb the three highest peaks in Scotland, Wales and England – Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike. They were managing director Andy Fuller; senior technical manager Simon Wood, Mike Goldney, commercial director; Shaun Marjoram, construction director; Dominic Blake, technical manager; Matthew Wright, technical co-ordinator; Oliver Hurlock, land manager; James Ivory, senior QS; Grant Heal, land graduate; Kirstie Beglarian, customer care co-ordinator and Dean Bellamy, Jason Catling and Adrian Simmonds, who are all site managers.
Event coordinator Simon Wood, a senior technical manager at Persimmon, added: “Given that this is one of the few areas in the country where there is currently no inpatient hospice, we wanted to do what we could to help the charity achieve its goal. Hospices play a vital role in supporting people with incurable illness, along with their family and friends.”