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Cheffins Celebrates 200-Year Anniversary by pledging over £100,000 towards the building of the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Local property firm Cheffins is marking its 200-year anniversary by pledging ÂŁ200,000 to charity through a combination of fundraising events and donations. The majority of the funds will go towards the Cambridge Children’s Hospital through Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT). Cheffins aims to raise a minimum of ÂŁ100,000 for the hospital, which will provide a dedicated playroom for children undergoing treatment. This initiative aligns with Cheffins’ commitment to supporting mental health services for future generations in the region.

Established in Saffron Walden in 1825, Cheffins has grown to become one of the best know professional services firms in the region, specialising in property, land, fine arts and farm machinery sales. Like ACT, Cheffins is now focusing on the future while committing to the local community and supporting vital services throughout the region.

Bill King, Chairman of Cheffins, expressed his excitement about the fundraising efforts: “We are thrilled to announce that we are aiming to give this significant amount of money for such an important cause and will be hosting a series of wonderful fundraising events throughout the year, while also match funding all of the charitable efforts of our staff. We are now looking to build a strong foundation for the future of Cheffins as well as the next generations of the people of Cambridgeshire and the surrounding area. We are celebrating with purpose and are proving our commitment to the community with our charitable efforts this year”.

The Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be a pioneering, purpose-built hospital on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It will transform healthcare and have a life-changing impact on the 1.5 million children in the East of England, the only region in the UK without a dedicated children’s hospital. The hospital will be the first of its kind, combining both physical and mental health services.

ACT CEO, Shelly Thake, shared her pride in partnering with Cheffins:

“We couldn’t be prouder to be partnering with Cheffins, in the year of their 200th anniversary and ACT’s 30th birthday, to raise money for the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital. Their passion and commitment to supporting the mental health of young people in our region, and this new hospital’s goal of integrating physical and mental health together, in one hospital for the first time, makes this a fantastic partnership. This new hospital will save and change the lives of countless children and young people – but that can only happen with the help of supporters like Cheffins, and their wonderful colleagues and customers”.

Cheffins have lots of exciting events and plans for the year ahead to raise money as well as awareness of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital and ACT. We’re excited to see what they get up and can’t wait to share the news in the future that they’ve smashed their fundraising target.

A minimum of ÂŁ20,000 is also being donated to the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation to support vital funds for young people’s mental health and wellbeing projects in the communities local to Cheffins. The remaining ÂŁ80,000 raised and gifted will be donated to various other charities nationwide.

For more information, please visit Cheffins.

Every patient in Addenbrooke’s to receive gift on Christmas Day thanks to Cambridgeshire firm’s fundraiser

Posted on by Danni Smith

‘Magical’ and ‘rewarding’ were the words used to describe a day of handing out Christmas presents and chocolates to staff and patients to ensure that every patient in Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie on Christmas Day will have a present to open. 

The festive gifts were paid for by caring staff from Ely firm, Cambridge Commodities, who spend the year fundraising for the two hospitals through Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT). 

An annual Christmas Ball focuses on giving back – with proceeds from the event ensuring that every patient in hospital over the festive season will receive a gift. Their thoughtfulness extends to all the staff too, who receive a box of chocolates in appreciation.  

Handing them out last week, ready for Christmas, was a team of staff from Cambridge Commodities and ACT. 

James Stevens, CEO of Cambridge Commodities (fifth from left), said: “One of the most special times in the year is Christmas and every year, at our annual festive Ball, we raise money to pay for every patient who wakes up on Christmas Day to receive a gift.” 

“It’s just the most incredible feeling to have spent the day with members of my team who have been handing out presents they wrapped only a few days ago.“ 

“One of my favourite feelings from today is we get to wake up on Christmas morning knowing that hopefully we have brought a smile to someone who is not having the best time, and if we can bring a little bit of love and a smile to people’s lives, that makes my Christmas.” 

Nikki, one of James’ team of helpers, (first on the left), said the day had extra special meaning for her as it marked the one-year anniversary of her dad’s death. 

Her dad, Michael, had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and had been cared for by staff at Addenbrooke’s.  

“He had chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment at Addenbrooke’s and the staff were just amazing. It seems insignificant giving out chocolates as a way of saying thank you but the staff don’t realise the work they do. My dad was a single parent and we were incredibly close and the staff were just phenomenal with him. No question was ever too silly. Their care was second to none.” 

“Today has been incredible. As well as the presents for patients, we have bought a box of chocolates for all the staff and although it’s only a box of chocolates to say thank you, today has been very, very rewarding.” 

Natasha Robertson, Corporate Partnerships Manager at ACT said: “Today has been so magical and really demonstrates the difference that a heartfelt act of kindness makes and the strength of partnerships and making a difference together.” 

Paul White, (first on left), ACT’s Director of Communications and Impact, said: “Being in hospital at any time is really difficult but never more so than over Christmas. Showing staff and patients that there are people out there thinking of them and caring makes a world of difference. Cambridge Commodities have been working towards this all year and for them to be here today to be part of it is fantastic.” 

Ashwitha Rai, a nutrition assistant who will be working both Christmas Day and Boxing Day, thanked ACT and Cambridge Commodities saying: “It makes a lot of difference for the staff as well as the patients.”  

As well as handing out presents to staff, James also got to visit one of the wards where some of the elderly patients will be spending Christmas Day. 

Ninety-year-old Cynthia, pictured with Paul and James, had only been admitted the night before. She said she normally spent Christmas with about 16 or 17 family members including her son, grandchildren and great grandchildren and said receiving the special gift from Cambridge Commodities and ACT was “marvellous.” 

Ben’s Yard, in Ely, also got involved in the special event by donating their marquee and refreshments as a space for Christmas wrapping, providing their own team of staff to help wrap presents too. 

To find out about volunteer opportunities at ACT, visit www.act4addenbrookes.org.uk/volunteer 

Corporates who would like to support ACT as Charity of the Year can also get in touch by emailing: corporatepartnerships@act4addenbrookes.org.uk 

Every patient in Addenbrooke’s over Christmas to receive gift thanks to Cambridgeshire firm’s fundraiser

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

Caring staff at a firm in Ely who have been planning their Annual Christmas Ball for a year look set to donate a present for every patient in hospital over the Christmas period at both Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie.

James Stevens and his staff at Cambridge Commodities picked Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) – the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie – as their official charity partner seven years ago. Since then they have been busy fundraising for the two hospitals throughout the year.

The firm’s Annual Christmas Ball focuses on giving back at Christmas – with proceeds from this month’s event raising money to buy a Christmas present for every patient who will be in hospital over the festive season. James and his team are also buying boxes of chocolates for staff to share on the day too.

“One of the most special times in the year is Christmas,” James said. “And every year, at our annual festive ball, we raise money to pay for every patient who wakes up on Christmas Day to receive a gift. These gifts are wrapped by Team Cambridge Commodities and delivered to the hospital. Waking up at Christmas is made special knowing we might have brought a smile to patients’ faces.”

ACT’s Chief Executive, Shelly Thake, said: “Christmas can be a really special time of year for families, friends and loved ones to spend quality time together. But we are very aware that isn’t always the case for a lot of people.”

“For patients who sadly find themselves in hospital over Christmas it can be a very difficult time not just because they are unwell but also because they are away from home and their loved ones. The amazing hospital staff do everything they can to care for them, but most people just want to be at home at Christmas. That is why we are incredibly grateful to Cambridge Commodities and all their staff for their fundraising efforts to bring Christmas to the hospital.”

“Each year they raise enough money to buy and wrap a present for every single patient staying in Addenbrooke’s over Christmas. All their planning, hard work and kindness really does put a smile on the faces of both patients and staff.”

Ben’s Yard, in Ely, also gets involved by donating their marquee and refreshments as a space for Christmas wrapping, providing their own team of staff to help wrap presents too.

James said one of the reasons his staff picked ACT as their charity partner was because of the impact Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie have had on so many of their own lives.

Since they started wrapping and buying presents for the hospitals three years ago, staff have already experienced the direct impact of their kindness, including Emily, whose daughter Ayda was born in the Rosie just after Christmas.

Emily, the firm’s EU Account Manager, had helped wrap Christmas presents to be distributed to patients on Christmas Day and had been booked to have a C-Section on New Years’ Eve. However, she went into labour early and was admitted to the Rosie on Christmas Eve, which meant she was one of the patients to receive one of the presents on Christmas Day.

“I was in hospital on Christmas Day waiting to give birth, so I received one of the presents that I had helped wrap; some hand cream and body lotion, which was a really thoughtful present.”

“Something like that just makes you feel supported and reassured that people are thinking of you and trying to make you feel better about being in hospital over Christmas, when you don’t want to be.”

Play therapist and young patient playing with Lego

Another member of staff to experience the direct impact of their fundraising efforts is Natalie Scott Paul, the firm’s Head of Payroll, who organises the Annual Christmas Ball every year with finance manager Carly Purell.

“One of the things we wanted to do was pay the salary of a play therapist. That year my daughter was admitted to Addenbrooke’s, and the play therapist came to see her while she was waiting to be seen. I texted everyone at work and said, ‘we did that!’”

Natalie and Carly said planning for the event takes place all year round but say the results are worth it.

“Every detail is crafted with care to make sure the night is both impactful and enjoyable – from planning the beautiful dĂ©cor, arranging the entertainment and collaborating with generous sponsors. Knowing that our efforts will contribute to meaningful change and support those in need makes the whole process even more rewarding.”

However, it isn’t just charitable partners who can make a difference at Christmas – members of the public can too.

Anyone wanting to bring a little Christmas cheer to patients and staff throughout the year can log onto ACT’s online shop where they can choose to buy a virtual gift or purchase one of ACT’s specially designed Christmas cards, with all profits going towards making the hospitals even better.

Virtual gifts can buy anything from an hour of therapeutic play or a stocking filler toy for a child in hospital this Christmas, refreshments for hardworking staff or even a set of warm clothes for elderly patients.

Talking about spreading the feel-good factor beyond Christmas, ACT’s Chief Executive added: “Whilst Christmas always acts as a bit of a focus for people, their kind thoughts and donations don’t have to stop at Christmas. As a charity we have fundraising and volunteering opportunities available throughout the year – so choosing to take part is a way of spreading the Christmas cheer throughout the year if you like.”

This is a sentiment backed by James, who listed just some of the ways he and his staff have been able to get involved throughout the year.

“In the seven years we’ve been working with ACT we have been given the opportunity to be part of so many incredible events. We’ve Dragon boated, we’ve handed out daffodils to CUH staff, baked cakes, we’ve half marathoned, human fruit machined, dressed up, quizzed, wrapped Christmas presents, put on some spectacular festive black-tie events, laughed, cried and had the most memorable of times. These events haven’t just raised much needed money for ACT but have brought our team, Team CC, closer together and added purpose.”

Donna Lee-Willis, Head of Community Fundraising at ACT, said volunteering or fundraising for a charity like ACT can bring a lot of happiness to individuals too. “We have so many amazing fundraisers – like 17-year-old Ernie (pictured right), who raised over £3,000 by doing a Skywalk for ACT to give back to staff at Addenbrooke’s, after being treated for Ewings Sarcoma himself.”

Ernie’s mum, Georgina, said Ernie, who is still receiving treatment, wanted to give back to the staff on C9 ward at Addenbrooke’s who care for him when he is hospital. “They really do go above and beyond. They stay later than they need to and help patients more than they need to and have become friends. I think he just wanted to give something back. I am extremely proud of him. He’s a one off!”

Donna added: “We have so many amazing fundraisers who raise money for the hospitals throughout the year, either through their own events or by choosing to take part in one of our specially-designed ones – which for 2025 include a charity skydive, the TTP Cambridge Half Marathon in March, the London Marathon in April and the Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival in September.”

“Beyond that though, members of the public can volunteer to help us out at one, or all, of our events throughout the year, acting as an ambassador for what is a really great organisation to be part of.”

“All our volunteers get a lot of pleasure from working with us and for us as an organisation their support is invaluable. We wouldn’t be able to do what we do without them.”

How you can get involved

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals, and money raised by supporters help make the hospitals even better by funding cutting-edge research, innovations and high-tech equipment, above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide.

To buy a virtual gift for a patient at the hospital, or a specially designed Christmas card, visit ACT’s online shop.

To find out how to get involved with fundraising visit our website or email the Community Fundraising team at: fundraising@act4addenbrookes.org.uk.  

Click here to find out more about volunteer opportunities at ACT

Corporates who would like to support ACT as Charity of the Year can also get in touch by emailing: corporatepartnerships@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

This year’s 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival raises a staggering £35k for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital

Posted on by sarah.rastrick@act4addenbrookes.org.uk

This year’s 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival blew fundraising expectations out of the water – with a staggering £35k raised for the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH).

A total of 41 teams and over 600 competitors gathered along the riverbank at Fen Ditton for Saturday’s 18th Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival – paddling 30ft Dragon Boats up the river in glorious sunshine.

As well as the races, bankside entertainment brought the crowds in – with lion dances from the Cambridge Chinese Community and family-friendly entertainment provided by sponsors, Illumina (pictured below), with fun activities such as strawberry DNA extraction, dress like a scientist with a walk-through Cambridge DNA history, face painting and flag making.

We were there too – in a tent full of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust staff and volunteers, with donations to our raffle and hook a duck all helping to boost our £14 million public appeal for the new specialist cancer hospital.

Saturday’s electric event raised £35,000 and all funds will be used in support of the Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital (CCRH). The hospital, which will be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus by 2029, will bring together clinical and research expertise in a new, world-class hospital, designed in partnership with staff and patients. It will detect cancer earlier, treat it more precisely, and save more lives.

A special shout out to all the teams who competed to raise money for the new hospital – and to Cambridge 105 for supporting us on the day with live interviews and the Cambridge Independent who were taking photos on the day.

Teams travelled from outside the county to take part in Saturday’s Festival – with winners of the best dressed competition, Mosses Arc, travelling down from outside Chester to celebrate their friend Paul’s 50th birthday. Following a Noah’s Arc theme their outfits came two by two – with everything from flamingos to leopards, giant furry rats and chickens. We’re not sure how they managed to row in them – but they looked great!

Thank you also to the teams with multiple entries including TWI Ltd; Ring; AstraZeneca; Huawei Technologies; and the Railway Arms.

ACT’s Natasha Robertson, Corporate Partnerships Manager, hailed the festival a huge success and said: “It was such a fantastic day with an amazing atmosphere. It was lovely to meet all the teams and having the CCRH project team competing, as well as on their stand, meant that everyone who came – whether they were competing or coming to join in the fun – could see the direct impact they were having by helping to raise money for the new cancer hospital.

“We are absolutely delighted to have raised £35,000. It’s been our best festival yet!”

The overall winners were the Cosgrove Paddle Shifters

Lucy Morton, Executive Director from organisers NewWave Events, said: “The 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival was a complete success and the whole team at NewWave Events had a fantastic day with all the crews. The fundraising efforts resulted in a record-breaking amount being raised for ACT from this event and we’re eager to build on this further for 2025! Watch this space for more information about next year, with plans already starting we have lots of ideas and hopefully, we will be bringing the dragons back to the River Cam with a sell-out event for the 20th year!’

Mark Robinson, VP and General Manager, UK and Ireland, and Northern Europe, Illumina said: “lllumina had an incredible day as sponsors of the 2024 Cambridge Dragon Boat Festival to raise vital funds for Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust to build a specialist cancer hospital in Cambridge. Seeing families, friends, and local businesses come together to support their teams provided an amazing atmosphere for the day and made it extra special.”

Elaine Chapman, Lead Advisory Nurse for CCRH, joined the CCRH project team in their boat and said: “We were absolutely delighted to take to the waters to raise money for Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital. It was my third time in a race crew and probably the best event yet!”

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support such an amazing cause which has led to an incredible £35K raised for our future facility, that is bringing world-leading research and clinical excellence together, to change the lives of cancer patients across the UK and beyond.”

“We’re involving patients and staff at every stage of our project, so it was incredibly fun and rewarding to have our patients with us racing on the River Cam for CCRH.”

ACT would like to extend a HUGE thank you to all the teams taking part on the day. We hope to see you return next year for an even bigger, better festival with funds from next year’s festival again going towards our £14 million public appeal to help build the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

Click here if you would like to donate to Cancer services at Addenbrooke’s and the new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital.

Email our friendly fundraising team and find out what you can do to support our hospitals.

Fundraising brings company ‘happiness in spades’

Posted on by Danni Smith

Here, James Stevens, Founder and CEO of Cambridge Commodities, which provides nutritional ingredients across a variety of industries, talks about the positive impact that fundraising has had on his staff.   

James, who founded his company working out of his parents’ spare bedroom at just 21 years of age, has since grown the company to the size it is today – with a global workforce of 170 staff, with offices in Ely, Sacramento and the Netherlands. 

The company, however, didn’t start raising money for charity until its 20th year.

“I really wanted to raise ÂŁ20,000 for charity in our 20th year so started looking for a charity. Somebody wrote down Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust and it just stood out. It’s the perfect charity for a business of our location and size and it touches the hearts of every single member of staff. We all know someone who has either been admitted to the hospital or visited somebody there. All my children were born in the Rosie.” 

Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) is the official charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie hospitals, and money raised by our supporters help make the hospitals even better by funding cutting-edge research, innovations and high-tech equipment, above and beyond what the NHS is able to provide. 

One of the reasons for picking ACT as its charity was to be able to see the direct impact of all their fundraising efforts, James says – something that has happened on several occasions already with different members of staff, including Emily, the firm’s EU Account Manager, whose two-year-old Ayda was born in the Rosie just after Christmas. 

Emily had helped other members of staff to wrap Christmas presents which ACT funded to be distributed to patients on Christmas Day. Emily, who had been booked to have a C-Section on New Years’ Eve, went into labour early and was admitted to the Rosie on Christmas Eve. 

“I was in hospital on Christmas Day waiting to give birth so I received one of the Christmas presents that ACT had funded; some hand cream and body lotion, which was a really thoughtful present. Something like that just makes you feel supported and reassured that people are thinking of you and trying to make you feel better about being in hospital over Christmas, when you don’t want to be.” 

Another member of staff to see the direct impact of their fundraising efforts was Natalie Scott Paul, the firm’s Head of Payroll, who organises the Annual Christmas Ball with finance manager Carly Purell.  

“As one of our things we wanted to do, staff chose to pay the salary of a play therapist. That year my daughter was admitted to Addenbrooke’s, and the play therapist came to see her while she was waiting to be seen. I texted everyone at work and said, ‘we did that!’” 

Staff have taken part in, or organised, a range of activities or events – from wrapping Christmas presents for patients to competing in the Cambridge Half Marathon to handing out daffodils to hospital staff at Easter.  

“We were handing out daffodils to staff as they were leaving work for the day,” James said, “and to see the smiles on their exhausted faces, you cannot describe how good that feels. To see them all leaving and to be able to say thank you is amazing. I think we all had a little cry when we got home that day.” 

The firm has organised other events themselves – from cake bakes to a cyclathon (24 hours of cycling); a Walking Challenge where staff had to walk the equivalent in miles from their office in Ely to their office in Sacramento (over 5,000 miles which they managed to more than double) as well as their annual Christmas Ball, which after five years is soon expected to top half a million pounds raised. 

ACT’s Corporate Partnerships Manager Natasha Robertson said companies who would like to join forces with the charity can get involved in a number of different ways, from making one-off donations to choosing ACT as its Charity of the Year. 

“Most of the companies that we work with have a connection with the hospitals and find fundraising a really worthwhile, bonding experience. Employees can organise their own fundraising events or take part in some of the fun events that we organise throughout the year, including the Dragon Boat Race and the Cambridge Half Marathon.” 

“We have a diverse range of companies across sectors that are fundraising on our behalf and as we continue to grow.” 

As for James, he says fundraising gives his staff an enormous sense of pride as well as helps him get to know employees in areas of the business he wouldn’t normally interact with. It also helps with recruitment. 

“We have people saying they chose us as an employer because we had a relationship with a charity.” 

For any company thinking of becoming a corporate supporter for ACT, James has this to say, “You just need to find the time to do it but that time is paid back in spades through the happiness of your staff.” 

Find out more about our corporate partnerships here. If your company is able to support ACT and is looking to make a real difference, please email Natasha at: Natasha.Robertson@act4addenbrookes.org.uk.

Click here to find out more about fundraising for the hospital.