Charities are the winners thanks to accountancy staff

Two charities will share over £6,500 thanks to the dedicated fundraising efforts of a team of Shropshire accountancy staff.

The colleagues from Dyke Yaxley Chartered Accountants, in Shrewsbury and Telford, have spent the last 12 months coming up with creative and innovative challenges to raise just over £6,559.

And now, their donations have been divided equally and presented to their chosen charities – The Harry Johnson Trust and Sands (the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity).

Marketing co-ordinator Jackie Young said despite the difficulties of fundraising during the Coronavirus pandemic, the Dyke Yaxley team had worked extremely hard to raise as much money as possible.

“Every year we nominate two charities and then set about organising challenges and activities that will help us boost our fund-raising totals. This year has been very strange given the lockdown and working from home, but we’re so very grateful for everyone’s support and for the dedication our colleagues have shown in joining in with the events.”

The activities have included a wide range of ideas from a charity bike ride, to guessing baby pictures and the number of sweets in a jar, to a golf day, cake sales, a quiz night, steps challenge and a charity netball match.

Staff have also organised raffles and taken part in Christmas Jumper Day, Christmas wrapping services, and held an auction at a charity dinner.

The Harry Johnson Trust was established in November 2014 following the death of seven-year-old Harry in July of that year. Harry died following a nine-month fight with Double Hit Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The Trust offers help and support to children and teenagers who receive care from the oncology team at The Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

Sands is the UK’s leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity and it exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it.

Following their successful efforts in the last 12 months, staff at Dyke Yaxley have now nominated their next two charities for the coming year – Shropshire Mind and the Lingen Davies Cancer Fund.