A recruitment firm from Stafford sprung in to action and raised £1,570 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, after wanting to do something to support those people who have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vantage Consulting, which specialises in recruitment for the Engineering and IT industries in the UK, Europe and USA, decided to make it their mission to fundraise for a different worthy cause every quarter, after the first lockdown hit in March. As well as doing something positive to help, they also thought it would be a nice morale boost for the team who were working from home.  

Collectively, the colleagues chose Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity as one of the causes to support, as a number of them have a connection to the hospital, including friends that work at the specialist paediatric centre and children who have been treated there. Once such colleague is Dan Griffiths, whose daughter Aria underwent keyhole surgery there when she was just four-days-old.

Aria was diagnosed with Duodenal Atresia – a blockage of the bowel – whilst her mum Rebecca was still pregnant. It was a stressful time for Aria’s parents, especially as, at the time she had the procedure, she was the smallest person (in weight) to have keyhole surgery across whole of the UK. The family spent around three weeks in Birmingham Children's Hospital and were blown away by the support they received from the surgeons and nurses. Luckily, Aria, who is now two-and-half, recovered well and has since been discharged from the hospital.

Staff undertook their fundraising for the charity from October to December, and completed various fundraising challenges, including a Ping Pong tournament and a Man vs Food contest, which saw participants have to eat a series of courses in the quickest time. In October, 21 members of the team also tackled Mount Snowdon, asking friends, family and clients to sponsor them. Heading there early in the morning, the group decided to split into two and take two separate routes up the mountain to make it easier for them to social distance. Whilst it was cold and foggy, and a lot harder than they all thought it would be, the colleagues triumphed by reaching the summit.

Lauren Ballard, a Team Leader at Vantage Consulting, and also its charity ambassador, said: “We, like most people, felt helpless when the pandemic hit. We wanted to do something positive to help and so we started fundraising. So far, we’ve really enjoyed the experience, and climbing Mount Snowdon was definitely a bonding experience for our team. 

“We’ve been blown away by the support we’ve received from our clients, friends and family, and we’re thrilled to have raised such a fantastic amount for Birmingham Children’s Hospital, which provides such an important service to our region.”

Miranda Williams, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “What a wonderful medley of fundraising challenges the team at Vantage Consulting have undertaken for us – we are so grateful to them. It has been a difficult last year and the money they’ve raised means we can continue to do more for our sick kids by providing vital support to those families who need us now, and those who will need us in the future.”

If you would like to donate to Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, please click here. 

 

ENDS