Rotherham firm Bluetree Group unites staff while raising £11,500 for Bluebell Wood children's hospice

Digging deep: one of the dragon boat racing teams from Bluetree Group in Rotherham | Other 3rd Party

An award-winning Rotherham business which brought in £11,500 for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice found that fundraising united its team.

Online printing business Bluetree Group employs over 400 staff at its factory at Manvers near Wath.

The company, a UK winner at the European Business Awards for two years running, decided to focus its charity work by appointing Bluebell Wood as its first-ever Charity of the Year last January.

“Fundraising has always been a key part of our culture, bringing our team together and having fun in the process,” said Emily Gray, a content marketing executive and head of their fundraising efforts.

“We created an events committee and elected a Charity of the Year to focus our efforts. Choosing Bluebell Wood was an easy decision.

“We’ve been aware of its amazing work supporting families for a long time and have done various fundraising for it in the past. This was an opportunity to give something really substantial to a cause that we really believe in.”

Motor company's boost for hospice

In June, 16 of the team set forth at midnight to reach the summit of Wales’s highest mountain on the hospice’s Sunrise on Snowdon fundraiser, raising £2,294.

A month later, two teams rowed in the hospice’s annual Manvers Lake Dragon Boat Race, raising £1,151 in sponsorship. A week of internal fundraisers involved leg waxing, head shaving, sponge throwing, cake baking, an auction and car washing.

Five brave staff did a sponsored sky-dive, raising £2,614.

The company also gave the hospice £3,500 of free printing, £2,000 of envelopes and staff filled 50 charity shop collection bags.