A year-long fundraising effort by staff at Reward Finance Group in Manchester has raised £15,000 for its local charity partner Barnabus, which offers practical support to homeless and vulnerable people living in the city.
The money raised by Reward will provide much-needed funds to the charity, which is part of two action groups committed to ending homelessness under the Manchester Homelessness Partnership.
Barnabus was created in 1991 by founder Peter Green who initially walked the streets of Manchester armed only with some sandwiches and a flask of hot coffee. Deeply saddened by the chronic homelessness in the city, he worked with his wife Beryl to establish an organisation which continues to develop by providing direct support to those most in need. Equipping and empowering people to move away from a life on the streets and into a home through its support centre, case workers and tenancy resettlement team.
Speaking about the donation, Carol Price, fundraising manager for Barnabus, commented: “The generous and heartfelt commitment, energy and incredible fundraising support we’ve received from Reward has been a tremendous blessing and encouragement to our continuing and ever-growing work.
“We’ve been so thankful to partner with its team this year and have enjoyed seeing them exceed their fundraising goal at various events. The money raised ensures that we can continue to offer vital support, so that people can break free from the cycle of homelessness and have hope for the future. Our thanks and best wishes to all the team, we will miss you.”
From dragon boat racing to participating in an organised sleep on the streets as part of the Manchester CEO Sleepout, the team at Reward embarked on a range of fundraising initiatives to achieve its ambitious target.
Steve Noble, Reward’s managing director in the North West, added: “It’s truly heartbreaking to see the scale of homelessness when you walk through the streets of Manchester and so we knew we had to partner with a charity which provides more practical support to help tackle the problem.
“Working closely with Barnabus has really opened our eyes to its commitment to not only helping homeless and vulnerable people but also empowering them to find a home and build a new life. The team here at Reward worked tirelessly to reach a fundraising target that exceeded our expectations and we’d like to both thank everyone involved and wish the charity all the best for the year ahead.”
Anyone hoping to also support Barnabus can do so by visiting www.barnabus-manchester.org.uk.
