Company news Staff press on towards £10,000 for hospice

Staff press on towards £10,000 for hospice

Staff press on towards £10,000 for hospice

Staff at leading Pontllanfraith-based printer Pensord are doing the leg work for the company’s adopted charity with a sponsored walk at Cwmcarn Scenic Drive on Sunday September 25 as Pensord looks to raise £10,000 in six months for the Hospice of the Valleys.

'Walk the Walk' for the Hospice’ is Pensord’s first fundraising event for the Hospice since the charity was adopted in the summer. The company has a charity team made up of employees, and they came up with the Hospice as the company’s worthy cause. So far the printer has raised over £6,500 from a share of its profits and from a scheme that sees £1 go to the charity every time a customer asks for a quote on a print job.

Now for their first event, over two hundred staff members, family and friends are expected to walk the 5 and a half mile Sunday morning route through the beautiful countryside at Cwmcarn, and they are looking to boost funds by another few thousand pounds.

The Hospice of the Valleys is based in Tredegar, and provides free, high quality care in their own homes for patients in the area who are suffering from life-threatening illnesses, empowering 70% of those chosing to die at home to fulfil their wishes.  Comprehensive support is also given to their families, from diagnosis all the way through.

The charity won this year’s national GlaxoSmithKline Impact Award for Excellence in Community Healthcare for what was described as “one of the most comprehensive outreach palliative care services in the UK.”

Pensord Chief Executive Tony Jones said: “We were attracted to the charity because of its nationally recognised track record in caring for local people in their homes. The Hospice is well established with strong local links with the heath service and other healthcare providers in the area. Walk the Walk is our first fundraising event and we’re hoping to move closer to our target of raising £10,000 by January 2006.”

Pensord Charity Team member Phil Stainer said: “It’s called Walk the Walk because at Pensord we do what we set out to do – we walk the Walk as well as Talk the Talk. This will be a great first event, as it includes all our colleagues at the plant and their families. Cwmcarn is a wonderful location so we are looking forward to an enjoyable way to fundraise.”

Andrew Richards, Managing Director of the Hospice of the Valleys said: Anyone looking to help the company’s fundraising efforts can call Cathy Hewitt on 01495 223 721.