Colten Care Homes Raise £25,000 For Good Causes
A family-owned care provider with 19 homes for elderly people raised nearly £25,000 for good causes in 2014.
The figure means South Coast operator Colten Care has benefited charities by more than £110,000 in the past five years.
A range of organisations receive help from the company’s deliberate policy of linking activities programmes with fundraising for charities chosen by residents and team members.
Avon Reach in Mudeford, Dorset, was the home that raised the most money last year, with £3,746.
Funds went to help the Stroke Association, Sports Relief, RNLI, British Legion, Macmillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Campaign and Children in Need.
Colten Care Activities Manager Karen Burdon said: “It’s entirely up to our residents which charities we support. Once the choice is made, we all get behind it. Team members like to take part in sponsored events, such as walks and bike rides, and we enable our residents to contribute directly in meaningful ways such as making arts and crafts to sell at fundraising fetes.”
To help the Stroke Association and, in particular, young stroke survivors, Avon Reach held a gala dinner and sold knitted teddy bears and paper flower displays made by residents.
The money raised, more than £750, was presented to stroke campaigner Claire Whitehouse who suffered a stroke when she was just 19.
Claire said: “The residents are in a different age group but they still wanted to donate to help young stroke survivors. It blew me away when I first heard. I thought ‘wow’. I couldn’t believe it.”
Among other Colten Care homes in 2014:
– Braemar Lodge in Salisbury raised nearly £2,300 to help homeless people in the city by holding a Christmas market.
– Abbotts Barton in Winchester raised more than £1,800 for Parkinson’s UK, the British Legion Poppy Appeal and Children in Need.
– Canford Chase in Poole raised more than £1,700 for the Youth Cancer Trust, RNLI, British Legion and Macmillan Cancer Support.
– Kingfishers in New Milton, Hampshire, raised more than £1,400 for the Rainbow Centre, Children in Need, Alzheimer’s Society, Macmillan Coffee Morning, British Legion and Comic Relief.
– Belmore Lodge in Lymington, Hampshire, raised£1,400 for MacMillan Cancer Support, Naomi House, Children In Need and Poppy Appeal.
– Amberwood House in Ferndown, Dorset, raised £1,300 for the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation, Poppy Appeal, Macmillan Cancer Support and Children in Need.
– Avon Cliff in Bournemouth raised nearly £1,300 for the RNLI, Sports Relief, Royal British Legion, MacMillan Cancer Support and Children in Need.
– Brook View in West Moors, Dorset, raised £1,160 for the Dorset Blind Association, Children in Need and Macmillan Cancer Support.
– Fernhill in Longham, Dorset, raised £1,100 for various dementia-specific charities as well as Sports Relief, Macmillan Cancer Support, Poppy Appeal, Children in Need, Caring Canines and Poole Hospital Special Baby Unit.
