Courageous volunteers from Barratt Developments North East, a local housebuilder with its headquarters in Gateshead, fearlessly took to the zipline, raising more than £2,000 for Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care in their inaugural fundraising event.
Dangling 820ft in the air from the top of the Tyne Bridge, five Barratt employees zipped across the River Tyne at 25 mph to kickstart the fundraising activities for its new Charity of the Year, Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care. The thrill-seeking volunteers raised over £1,000 in the process, which was then match-funded by Barratt Developments Group, making a total of over £2,000.
The charity, which was founded in 2011, specialises in transporting cancer patients to and from hospitals for their treatment, completely free of charge. The door-to-door service means that patients travel in a safe and comfortable environment, without the stress, anxiety, and cost of other travel methods. Over 60,000 cancer patient journeys are completed by the charity each year, all by a team of 400 volunteers and a fleet of 40+ ambulances.
The charity is dependent on the generosity of local residents to continue its services, especially at a time when one of its biggest expenses, fuel, continues to rise. Barratt Developments’ first fundraising activity will go towards alleviating the pressure that this rising cost places on the charity.
As part of the 12-month relationship, Barratt Developments North East’s next fundraising event will be its annual subcontractor event. Involving a raffle, a silent auction, as well as fundraising opportunities throughout, all proceeds will be put towards Daft as a Brush.
“We’re so pleased to be working closely with the team at Barratt Developments North East as their nominated Charity of the Year over the next 12 months. We rely heavily on the generosity of local residents and businesses, and it’s fantastic to see the UK’s leading housebuilder supporting our work. The brave volunteers have certainly got off to a flying start, and we really appreciate their efforts and generous donations. We look forward to seeing what other exciting fundraising activities the team come up with next!”
David Wilson, Development Manager at Daft as a Brush
“We’re very proud to be supporting Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care as our official new Charity of the Year for 23/24. As a housebuilder across the region, a huge part of our ethos is supporting the local communities in which we build, and the volunteers at Daft as a Brush all work incredibly hard to support patients around the area. I’d like to make a special thank you to our very brave volunteers, Alex Lawson, Demi Jardine, Lynn Wilkinson, Sharon Morris and Lucy Holmes-Mongan, as well as Tracey Bamborough for organising the event. We look forward to running more fundraising activities over the next 12 months.”
Carl Sobolewski, Managing Director at Barratt Developments North East
To help support Barratt Developments’ in raising money for Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/barrattzipline
For more information on Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care, and to make a donation online directly, please visit: https://www.daftasabrush.org.uk/
