The Co-operative Bank's Charity Fundraiser Raises £52,000 For Good Causes

Kind hearted staff at The Co-operative Bank have helped raise over £50,000 for good causes in the Bank’s annual ‘festive fundraiser’ event which pitches teams against each other in order to raise money for a variety of good causes, with the winning team earning additional donations from the Bank.

The festive fundraiser winning team from the Bank’s Risk department collected more than one hundred toys for Wood Street Mission, Manchester, and their efforts led to a further £2,400 being donated to the charity.

In total 46 teams from across the UK took part in the bank’s fundraising event, each choosing a national or local organisation as their chosen cause to raise money for. As a result, more than 40 charities will benefit from the £52,150 donated as a result of the events organised by colleagues, ranging from festive cake sales to quiz nights, and raffles to Santa dashes. In total Co-operative Bank staff raised an impressive £26,750 with a further £25,400 being donated by the Bank.

The fund raising efforts of each team were considered for a shortlist of five in the festive fundraiser final. The teams chosen to compete in the final were then asked to present to a panel of bank senior staff and each awarded a £1,000 boost to their fundraising pot. The panel then deliberated on the five presentations, choosing one overall winning team to win a further £1,000 for their chosen charity.

The 2016 winning team held a toy collection drive across multiple bank sites in order to donate to Wood Street Mission, a charity that has been distributing Christmas presents and supporting people in poverty since 1869.

Speaking of the winning team, Chair of the Bank’s Values and Ethics Committee, Laura Carstensen said: “It was so interesting to hear about the work of the Wood Street Mission, which has been distributing Christmas presents and supporting people in poverty since 1869. We were impressed by the number of presents the team collected, by the high engagement from individual colleagues and by the way they arranged to transport them from all the different sites for delivery to the Wood Street Mission. A great team effort!”

Roseanne Sweeney, Chief Executive of Wood Street Mission said of the £2,400 donation: “Toys are important for children's wellbeing and development. The families we help can't afford to buy toys for their children, particularly at Christmas, which is a difficult and stressful time of year for families who are struggling day to day. We are very grateful for the generosity of The Co-operative Bank. This donation will mean we can provide toys for parents to give to their children as presents on Christmas Day, just like any other parent. This really will make a positive different to the lives of hundreds of local children."

As the only UK high street bank with a customer led ethical policy, The Co-operative Bank is proud to support charities and the broad range of causes and organisations that promote social and economic development in the UK. Read more about the Bank’s ethical policy here.