Cara's memory inspires Banks Group employees to raise £5,000 for Neuroblastoma UK
Employees at North East property and renewable energy firm The Banks Group have smashed their 2022 fundraising target for Neuroblastoma UK. Thank you so much to everyone involved.
The team at the Durham-headquartered firm chose Neuroblastoma UK as their charity of the year. We were nominated by their colleague Gemma Dickenson in honour of Cara McKay, the daughter of her close friends Tom and Issy McKay who sadly lost Cara to the condition in 2020 when she was just three years old.
And having originally aimed to raise around £3,000, the team has now donated £5,000 to help fund vital research into neuroblastoma.
A wide variety of fundraising activities and events were organised by members of the Banks team across all its offices and operational sites, ranging from Premier League and World Cup sweepstakes, dress down paydays and raffles through to an international picnic day for which staff at Banks’ Meadowfield head office prepared a range of foods from around the world.
A nine-strong Banks team also took on the Total Warrior event at Bramham Park in Leeds, which involved tackling 30 obstacles along a challenging ten-kilometre course made up of hills, bogs, water hazards and thick mud.
“Neuroblastoma UK is a charity which is very close to our hearts following [Cara’s] diagnosis in 2017 and Issy and I were absolutely delighted to hear how much the Banks Group team has raised.”
Tom McKay, Cara’s dad said: “Cara was a huge fan of Disney, and loved dressing up, imaginative play, telling everyone what to do and the colour pink!
“Neuroblastoma UK is a charity which is very close to our hearts following her diagnosis in 2017 and Issy and I were absolutely delighted to hear how much the Banks Group team has raised.
“This money will directly fund vital research, not only in the improvement of the diagnosis and treatment for patients suffering with the disease, but it will also go towards Neuroblastoma UK’s overall mission to find a cure for neuroblastoma to avoid anyone in the future having to go through what Cara did.”
“Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Banks Group...we can fund more research projects to help find new, more effective and kinder treatments for children with this devastating disease.”
Zafar Zabbar, Senior Philanthropy and Partnerships Manager at Neuroblastoma UK, adds: “We are so grateful to everyone at the Banks Group for generously supporting Neuroblastoma UK.
“Despite our very best efforts, neuroblastoma research remains under-funded in the UK. There’s been some progress, but it’s slow - only one new drug has been developed for children receiving front line neuroblastoma therapy since the 1980s.
“Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Banks Group and many others, we can fund more research projects to help find new, more effective and kinder treatments for children with this devastating disease.”
“...we’re really pleased to be able to give such a great sum to Neuroblastoma UK in honour of a very special little girl.”
Gemma Dickenson, contracts director at The Banks Group, says: “Colleagues from every part of the business always get involved with our fundraising activities, and we’re really pleased to be able to give such a great sum to Neuroblastoma UK in honour of a very special little girl.”
How you take your fundraising into the workplace.
Get your company and colleagues involved through corporate partnerships, taking part in challenges or holding fundraising events to help fight neuroblastoma.
If you need any information or material about Neuroblastoma UK, to help encourage your company and colleagues to support our work, please email Katherine at fundraising@neuroblastoma.org.uk