Reading Laithwaites Raises Thousands For Reading Hospice
The UK’s No.1 home-delivery wine specialist, Laithwaites, which is headquartered in Theale, has raised more than £70,000 for Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice as part of a three-year charity partnership.
Laithwaites kicked-off the partnership with the Reading hospice, which provides expert palliative care to people who are living with life-limiting conditions, in July 2020, with a donation of £35,000 to help support its work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, colleagues from across the business have organised several fundraising activities and challenges which have doubled this total – funding the equivalent of over 3,300 hours of expert care for patients supported by the hospice’s Sue Ryder Nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, complementary therapists and family support team.
To build upon the success of the partnership and with a goal to reach the £100,000 fundraising milestone, Laithwaites has now decided to continue supporting Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice until the end of 2023, in the hope that more people will benefit from the specialist care and support that it provides.
Laithwaites Chairman
Tom Laithwaite, Chairman of Laithwaites and son of founder Tony Laithwaite, said: “Our employees voted for Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice as the company’s charity partner after a much-loved colleague was cared for at the hospice before they died in 2019. Over the years many of us have also had friends and family members who have been wonderfully cared for and supported by the charity.
“We are thrilled to have raised this amount for a cause close to our hearts and it was an easy decision to extend our partnership. Everyone at Laithwaites remains committed to championing such an amazing cause, which provides vital support for families in our local community.”
23-year-old Jordon Baker, who works as a Marketing Campaign Executive at Laithwaites, is taking on a solo challenge of running the London Marathon on Sunday 23 April, with the company match-funding his fundraising up to £1,000. He said: “To support the amazing work of Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice, I’ve decided to push myself outside my comfort zone. I want to raise as much money as possible to support those who haven’t been as fortunate to see their loved ones get the support that they need.”
Jenn Patient, Senior Community Fundraiser for Sue Ryder in the Thames Valley, said: “We’re so grateful to Laithwaites for their dedicated support since 2020 and we look forward to continuing our partnership into this year. The funds raised will make a huge difference in helping us to be there when it matters for people going through the most difficult times of their lives.”
Sue Ryder Information
For more information about Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice, visit: sueryder.org/duchessofkent.
To Donate
To donate to Jordon’s London Marathon fundraising page, visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/jordonbaker
