Hospice Children Given Helping Hand Thanks to Cool Milk

News release

10th July 2013

Youngsters being cared for at a Lincolnshire children’s hospice will benefit from more than £3,000 thanks to sporty colleagues from Cool Milk.

A team of 11 cyclists from the Lincoln-based school milk provider rode 100 miles from Lincoln to Chapel St Leonards and back again to raise vital funds for St Andrew’s Children’s Hospice in Grimsby.

The hospice provides care for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families throughout Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire.

They had hoped to raise £2,500 by taking part in the Lincolnshire Castle2Coast2Castle challenge on 6th June, but smashed the figure by collecting £3,419 in sponsorship – more than double the previous year’s £1,500!

Lisa Courtney, a fundraiser for the hospice, said the money would go a huge way to helping the children in their care.

“Every penny we get is important so we’re thrilled to receive such a large donation for our hospice,” explained Lisa. “We are in the process of a renovation, so this money will help us to make additional improvements that we hadn’t previously been able to afford.

“It will also go towards refurbishing a special room we have which allows families who have suffered a recent bereavement to make arrangements in a safe and comfortable environment. We’d like to say a big well done to the team for working so hard to raise this great amount of money.”

The hospice offers care completely free of charge, with running costs totalling around £1.5 million per year. More than 97% of funding comes from donations and fundraising efforts like the one by Cool Milk.

The facility is being given the donation after staff at Cool Milk voted for St Andrew’s Children’s Hospice to be their Charity of the Year.

Finance Lead Administrator Stacey Vavasour, one of the 11 cyclists of the C2C2C2013 event, said she was over the moon with the amount raised. “We were all looking for a personal challenge and a 100 mile bike ride seemed like a big enough one – especially as two of us hadn’t ridden a bike for five years,” said Stacey, who raised £172 of the amount herself.

“I know I speak on behalf of the rest of the team when I say we found the Wolds the most difficult part of the journey. But knowing that we had raised over £3,000 for such an important cause gave us the determination to complete the ride.”

The C2C2C annual cycling event sees teams of people from all over the county, and the UK, coming together to make the journey on behalf of their chosen charities.

Managing Director of Cool Milk, John Sedgwick, said: “The hospice provides incredible care and support for children and their families at a time when they are most in need. We were all proud to support this charity and we enjoyed the ride on the day as well.”

Donations can still be made via www.justgiving.com/teams/coolmilkc2c2c13

ENDS

Notes to editors:

School milk

• In the UK every child under the age of five in a day care or early years setting for two or more hours a day is entitled to a free 189ml serving of milk which is funded by the Department of Health. Children over the age of five in primary education are entitled to milk which is subsided by the European Union.
• Milk is a great source of nearly every vitamin and mineral of nutritional importance to people, especially for children of a young age.
• For the top ten reasons to drink school milk go to www.coolmilk.com/whyschoolmilk

Cool Milk

• The cyclists who took part in the ride were: Wayne Thornton, Stacey Vavasour, Mike   Cassidy, John Sedgwick, Adrian Mills, Alex Mather, Alex Rogalski, Jackie Holderness, Joan   Edenbrow, Marta Nadgrabska and Scott Perry
• Cool Milk is the UK’s leading school milk supplier.
• It works in partnership with over 85 local authorities and over 16,000 schools and nurseries to provide free and subsidised school milk to over half a million children every day.
• Its aim is to provide every child in early years and primary education with the opportunity to drink fresh milk every day. 
• The Cool Milk scheme is administration and cost free, and is designed to make providing school milk quick and simple for schools and nurseries.
• For more information visit www.coolmilk.com

Kate Strawson
Shooting Star PR
01522 528540
kate@shootingstar-pr.co.uk
www.shootingstar-pr.co.uk
t: @KateStrawson

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