New charity partnership means bargain furniture for Surrey shoppers

A new partnership between QEF and Berkeley Homes (Southern) Ltd has begun with a huge donation of furniture that will be available in the QEF charity shop in Leatherhead.

The furniture was originally in Berkeley Homes’ show houses and was no longer required when the show homes were handed over to their new owners. This means that bargain hunters with an eye for interior style will be able to benefit as this barely used furniture is now available.

This donation of nearly new furniture marks the opening of the new partnership, which will see Berkeley Homes (Southern) Ltd offer ongoing support to QEF in a variety of ways from work experience placements for disabled people through to the donation of a new £28,000 vehicle from the Berkeley Foundation for use by trainees in their landscaping gardening and decorating services out in the community.

Gary Thomas, QEF’s head of retail trading said: “We’re exceptionally grateful to Berkeley Homes for this show home furniture and being able to offer it to local people at a cut down rate through QEF’s shops is a win-win situation for everyone. There are some lovely items including cupboards, dressers, beds, soft furnishings, lamps and paintings and I’d certainly recommend anyone that is looking for new furnishings take a look at this before considering buying brand new items.”

Ben Annetts, Berkeley Homes’ head of marketing said: “Although our team members are going to get involved in various other fundraising events and take part in some exciting sponsored challenges, our partnership with QEF goes beyond just raising money. QEF’s work in helping disabled people train for the workplace and learn new vocational skills is hugely important. As part of our commitment to supporting this we will be providing QEF trainees with work experience placements and also setting up a contract for them to provide gardening services at our head office and new show homes.”

New equipment for ILS thanks to ExxonMobil

Employees from ExxonMobil recently visited QEF Independent Living Services (ILS) to see the new equipment that the company’s charity fundraising has provided. Staff at ExxonMobil’s UK Headquarters in Leatherhead chose QEF as its charity of the year in 2012 with the funds raised having now been used to buy two new Therabikes. These Therabikes allow people in wheelchairs to exercise their arms or legs, are used at ILS to help disabled residents improve their strength, flexibility and fitness as part of their journey towards greater mobility and independence. ExxonMobil’s fundraising activities included an Olympics themed sports event and barbecue, as well as a month long sponsored competition which involved staff wearing pedometers, in a contest to find the department that took the most steps in a day. The impressive athletic fundraising didn’t stop there, as Sarah Howell, ExxonMobil’s Communications Advisor also ran the Virgin London Marathon in 2013 to attract sponsorship for the Therabikes. Sarah is running again in 2014 for QEF!

Sophie Foale, ExxonMobil’s Community Affairs Adviser, who organised the fundraising and was part of the team that visited ILS said: “Supporting local charities is hugely important to everyone at ExxonMobil and participating has been an enjoyable experience for the whole team. Seeing the new Therabikes in use at ILS, and the excellent work that this service does is especially rewarding and it’s a cause that we’re proud to have contributed to.” John Chamberlain, Director of Fundraising for QEF commented: “Many disabled children and adults that QEF work with come from the Surrey and South East area. The help received from ExxonMobil is making a practical and real difference for local people at QEF Independent Living Services. so we are exceptionally grateful to everyone at the company for their support.”

Football Superstar John Terry visits Dorincourt

Big thank you to John Terry for taking the time to visit ILS and being a great sport.

Mindtunes Testimonial

Smirnoff wanted to empower people to become creators by providing a platform for them to express themselves. Smirnoff created Mindtunes to do just that.

From the very start of the Mindtunes project, Smirnoff wanted to work with a disability charity that would benefit from profits raised from the sale of the music track. It was important to partner with an established and respected charity who shared the same values as those upheld by Smirnoff in the Mindtunes project. Extensive research led us to Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF) and once we saw their work first hand and met clients and dedicated staff, we knew QEF was the right charity to partner with.

It was an absolute pleasure to work with the team at QEF. They were enthusiastic, proactive and committed to the success of Mindtunes and managed the project in a professional and sensitive manner.

Mindtunes is a great example of successful corporate and charity partnership.

Jess Lace, Senior Brand Manager – Smirnoff Diageo

Circus skills

Our new Activities Coordinator has dived head first into her new role and is sorting out a whole host of new and exciting activities for the clients. Thanks to some of the money raised by the Friends of Dorincourt, circus skills was one of the weekend activities in January that was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Holiday Raffle Prize Winners

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Marshall, the winners of our holiday raffle, who are due to head off to South Africa shortly!

Their prize consists of an eight night five star holiday travelling to Cape Town, Cedarberg, Winelands and Grootbos, garden tours and nine days car hire, all kindly donated by Symphony World Travel in Ashtead.

Refreshing Support from Cowan Architects

The Santa Cycle on 8 December 2013 was a great success raising just over £5000 to date.  Thanks to Cowan Architects for sponsoring the refreshments for the event.