Staff and partners at business advisory firm Deloitte have
raised £1million for charity in just one month.
The money, which will be donated to the firm's nominated charity
partners, was raised from a series of events and activities,
including the inaugural Deloitte Ride Across Britain from John
O'Groats to Land's End and the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge
in London.
Through these two events alone, Deloitte employees cycled and
ran more than 100,000 miles - the equivalent of four laps of the
earth.
Doing their bit in the fundraising feat were three people from
Deloitte's Birmingham office. The trio - Chris Robertson, Richard
Moore and Jason Norris - joined 100 other cyclists on the grueling
1,000 mile bike ride, raising £12,000 towards the total.
Jason, a senior associate in the firm's tax practice, said:
"Without a shadow of doubt, being part of the Deloitte Ride Across
Britain was the highlight of both my Deloitte career and my
personal life experience to date. I feel proud to have
helped the firm raise this incredible sum which will make a
significant difference to the lives of people across the
world."
Chris Loughran, Midlands practice senior partner at Deloitte,
said: "I'm extremely proud of the team's efforts and their
contribution to the overall fundraising total. Raising
£1million in just one month is a landmark
achievement.
"This huge sum has been achieved through ambition, dedication
and a relentless focus on the causes we care about. It's more
than just the money - it's the personal time, the team support, the
stretching personal challenges - that make it really special.
"There is a real desire and drive from our people to get
involved in charity work and fundraising and hopefully what has
been achieved so far will spur on others across the firm to do even
more in the future."
Other activities which contributed to the £1m windfall
included a raffle at the annual partner meeting, Give as you Earn
salary donations and hundreds of small events across the UK such as
quiz nights, team competitions, cake bakes and auctions.
The charities that will benefit from the fundraising include the
British Paralympic Association; SportsAid; Help for Heroes;
Children with Leukemia; Cancer Research UK; and The African
Rainforest Trust.
Deloitte's next major fundraising event will take place in
October, when 100 Deloitte employees will climb Mount Kilimanjaro,
the highest peak in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain in
the world, with the aim of raising £250,000 for
charity.
In addition to fundraising, during the past year Deloitte has
provided more than £5 million of pro-bono and discounted
professional services to charity and contributed more than 44,000
hours through community volunteering initiatives.