26 Sep #Lakeside: STAFF GET INTU THE CHARITY SPIRIT
Throughout 2016, intu Lakeside shopping centre has pledged to raise £25,000 for local children’s charity, Brainwave, and staff at the centre have been getting into the giving spirit with a variety of fundraising activities.
Staff members at intu Lakeside have carried out their own fundraising and sporting activities including three staff members taking part in triathlons and cycle marathons, putting their own bodies to the physical test to raise money for the children of Brainwave.
On Thursday 8 September, intu Lakeside held its annual retailer awards evening at the Orsett Hall. Stores at the centre kindly donated an array of prizes including a chocolate hamper from Thornton’s and a £50 gift voucher from Wagamama which were raffled off at the event. As well as raffle donations, guests at the event also donated additional funds to the charity. Throughout the evening, over £500 was raised for Brainwave.
In addition to this, intu Lakeside staff have raised additional money by holding events such as afternoon tea for the Queen’s birthday, an in-centre bake off and a lost property auction with all of these activities raising over £700.
Autographs from stars have also been donated including well known celebrities including Rochelle Humes, Jess Wright, Little Mix, Amir Khan and Lee Selby, all of which will be auctioned off by Brainwave.
Visitors to intu Lakeside have been extremely generous and over £1,300 has been collected in donation pots that are located around the centre.
Karen Betancourt-Jess, Head of Philanthropy and Partnerships at Brainwave, says: “We are over the moon with the additional donations from intu Lakeside. £25,000 was already an extremely generous donation and to see that intu staff are keen to help out even more is heartwarming and we are extremely grateful.”
Ben Leeson, Marketing Manager at intu Lakeside, commented: “Brainwave children’s charity is an extremely worthy charity which helps hundreds of children every year. We have sponsored seven local children’s treatment for the year and it’s great to see our staff wanting to help even more children too. intu is committed to helping the local community which is why all members of staff are encouraged to volunteer some of their time to helping others. Throughout the remainder of 2016, fundraising will continue to raise as much as possible for this fantastic charity and intu Lakeside’s customers are encouraged to get on board with this fundraising.”
Witham based Brainwave changes the lives of children with disabilities and additional needs by helping them to reach their potential. Offering children personalised and unique educational and physical therapies to improve mobility, communication skills and learning potential, Brainwave supports a large number of children local to intu Lakeside. Seven of these children have been sponsored by intu Lakeside throughout 2016 and range from ages three months to 12 years.
