Regional accountancy firm Monahans’ Swindon office has celebrated the end of successful year of fundraising for Swindon Carers’ Centre by handing over a cheque for £2,800.
Every year Monahans’ seven offices each select a local charity and raise money through a variety of different activities ranging from quizzes and bake sales to dress-down days.
More than half the total raised by Monahans’ Swindon office for Swindon Carers’ Centre – which supports 3,000 local carers, 900 of them aged between five and 18 years – came courtesy of the town’s business brains when they took part in the annual Swindon Sports Quiz.
Monahans’ social and charitable activities in Swindon are organised by senior accountant Holly Ayton and ACA trainee Craig Hatherall.
Craig said: “We’ve had another very successful year of fundraising and we’re very proud to be able to hand over such a large amount to Swindon Carers’ Centre.
“The work that the centre does is invaluable to the town and we wanted to be able to support them to help more people.”
Swindon Carers’ Centre director of service development Fiona Prinzi said: “Without donations and fundraising like this we couldn’t support so many carers and young carers across Swindon.
“We’ve been providing support to unpaid carers in the town for over 20 years and with this sort of support we are able to provide counselling and fun activities or carer groups, such as the Open Minds group for older people looking after those with dementia.
“It also enables us to provide fun activities that carers tell us they like to do, such as going fishing. It’s the fun things like this that remind people that they’re a person in their own right, not just a carer.”
The cheque was formally presented to the charity at the Monahans Annual Charity Quiz, which signals the start of the 2017/18 fundraising year.
The event also welcomes the new Monahans Swindon Charity of the Year, although this year there are four – Prospect Hospice, Macmillan, the Dove Specialist Cancer Unit at the Great Western Hospital, and The Anthony Nolan Trust.
Monahans has 14 partners and employs 190 people at its offices in Swindon, Bath, Chippenham, Glastonbury, Melksham, Taunton and Trowbridge.
Pictured, from left: Andrea MacDonald, young carer support practitioner, Swindon Carers Centre; Linda O’Kane, trustee, Swindon Carers Centre; Fiona Prinzi, director of service development, Swindon Carers Centre; Craig Hatherall and Holly Ayton of Monahans; Debbie Murphy-Myers, senior carer support practitioner, Swindon Carers Centre
