New corporate partnership scheme launched by St Elizabeth Hospice

A new corporate scheme which encourages Suffolk businesses to support one of the county’s leading charities is being set up with the aim of raising £100,000.

St Elizabeth Hospice’s Pillars of the Community invites companies to sign up to pledge to earn either a platinum, gold, silver or bronze pillar through a range of ways to suit them and their staff.

The initiative will be officially launched on Thursday 17^h November at 6pm at the Ramada Encore Hotel, Ranelagh Road, Ipswich, where East Anglian Daily Times editor Terry Hunt will be guest speaker.

Businesses can choose to raise between £1,000 and £50,000 in 12 months for the Hospice, an independent charity which costs £6.6m a year to run.

Alison Lanchester, St Elizabeth Hospice’s director of income generation and marketing, said: “We rely on the generosity of the local businesses to help us raise some of the £6.6 million we need each year to provide Hospice services throughout Suffolk free of charge.

“We value their support and appreciate in the current economic climate they will be looking for new ways give to charities. The Pillars of the Community scheme has already attracted a number of well-known businesses and this will increase following the official launch on November 17.”

She added that the scheme also allows businesses to help fulfil their Corporate and Social Responsibility.

Companies already agreed to become Pillars of the Community are Ipswich’s Ramada Encore hotel, leading audio visual company AV Unit, Suffolk Life, Framlingham Technology Centre, Image Beauty and Ipswich Building Society. They will be presented with their cut-glass pillar award at the launch.

Melissa Neisler Dickinson, of the Ramada Encore, said: “Working with St Elizabeth Hospice has been a pleasure we have built up a great relationship and hope to work with St Elizabeth Hospice for many years to come.”

Ipswich Building Society has been supporting the Hospice, by participating in events such as the Midnight Walk, Great Xscape, the Larking Gowen Ipswich Half Marathon and Dragon Boat Race.

They also offer a We Care affinity account to their customers which pays attractive rates of interest to savers looking to invest between £100 and £50,000. In addition, Ipswich Building Society has committed to donate an annual 1% bonus calculated against the accounts average balance direct to the customer’s chosen charity, which can be St Elizabeth Hospice.

Paul Winter, Ipswich Building Society’s chief executive, said: “At Ipswich Building Society we are keen to nurture links within the local community.”

Businesses can find out more at www.stelizabethhospice.org.uk or email sarawhite@stelizabethhospice.org.uk or call her on 01473 707035