At AXA Lytham all employees have an opportunity each calendar year to submit a charity of their choice, for the site to support. A great many local and national charities are submitted and over the years we are proud of the generosity in both the time staff put in to each charity and the amount of money generated.
There is a charity committee in place (all volunteers) and the committee meets regularly to brainstorm fund raising activities and then strives to put their fundraising activities in to practice.
In December 2013, Cardiac Risk in the Young was put forward and as with all charities it formed part of the annual charity vote. C-R-Y was successful in being voted as the charity to support from 1st July 2014 until 31st Dec 2014. There are several families within the workplace and local area that have been impacted by the sudden death of younger family members and friends.
The first decision made by the charity team was to deliver a C-R-Y kick-off walk through the building. This constituted one staff member dressed in the C-R-Y heart costume; charity committee members distributing chocolate heart sweets (kindly donated by AXA); distributing leaflets about the purpose of C-R-Y; selling the memorabilia C-R-Y had sent. The kick-off was a huge success and for colleagues who had not heard of C-R-Y before, there was no doubt about what C-R-Y stood for following the kick-off.
The events that followed the kick-off were all as equally successful and consisted of the following money raising ventures for C-R-Y:
• On every Friday at the Lytham site, employees are allowed to dress-down. On the final Friday of each calendar month, the charities team collect a donation from all colleagues.
• On each and every Wednesday, volunteers (employees from all departments) bring a variety of breakfast snacks in to the cafeteria for sale to colleagues and visitors.
• Some local children came in to the office and along with a colleague they sold Loom bands.
• There are a number of tuck-shops throughout the site that raise money by selling chocolate bars and sweets.
• In September an ice-bucket challenge was arranged.
• The charities committee also held a site key in the box from September through to December. One draw per month with half the profit going towards charity.
• In October the site held a ‘Wear Red’ for C-R-Y and Halloween Bake off day which both raised further money.
• In December the charities committee organised a wear your Christmas Jumper Day, Christmas Fair, Site Tombola/Raffle and IT Christmas Message Board (this was an alternative to Christmas Cards, where colleagues placed their Christmas message on to a white board and made a donation). All of these individual events were successful in contributing towards the C-R-Y total for December.
• Money has also been collected as employees bring in to the office books they have read and these can be taken by colleagues following a donation.
• There have been collection pots throughout the building and within the reception.
• The site Christmas Party also made a donation towards C-R-Y.
All in all this has been a real success story for the site and a new record total of £4152.71 was raised during the 6 month period.
The staff at AXA, Lytham are pleased to make this donation to C-R-Y, to help with the very important work that the charity undertakes. The donation is in memory of the many local children who have sadly been affected. Children such as Luke Clayton Rutter, from St Annes, who was a pupil at LSA High School.
Gary Miles
