01905 930680Mercantile Club members organised a networking ‘Santa Crawl’ which raised £2,500 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s £3.65 million Star Appeal.
A group of Birmingham business professionals, known as the Mercantile Club, have picked up this week’s Charity Champion title after organising a festive ‘Santa Crawl’, which raised £2,500 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity’s Star Appeal.
Inspired to fundraise for the charity by wealth manager Bart Dalton, who set up the club, the group chose the children’s hospital as its beneficiary as a way to say thank you for the care given to their own children over the years.
Sponsored by Bart’s business, Taurus Wealth Developments, the event saw businessmen and women don their craziest Christmas outfits and complete fun-filled tasks throughout the city centre, stopping off at Maramalade, The Victoria pub and Birmingham’s Christmas market along the way.
This year’s networking drinks raised money for the hospital charity’s £3.65 million appeal to build the UK’s first Rare Diseases Centre for children.
Bart, whose children, 11-year-old Max and eight-year-old Talia, have been treated at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “Birmingham Children’s Hospital means the world to us and as it’s a place which gives the children in our region a haven during times of great need, we couldn’t be prouder to support it.
“Our festive fundraising event was hugely successful and we loved having fun with friends whilst raising money for a great cause. We’re now hoping to make it an annual occasion!"
This Christmas, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity is hoping to give its patients the best gift of all by raising a further £150,000 towards its Star Appeal to build a ground-breaking new Rare Diseases Centre for children.
The hospital treats more than 9,000 children living with over 500 rare or undiagnosed conditions and the new centre will provide a single place within the hospital for all assessment, diagnosis, treatment, research and valuable peer-to-peer support.
Annie Eytle, Acting Events and Regional Fundraising Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Mercantile Club for raising such a wonderful amount for our charity’s Star Appeal, taking us one step closer to making our Rare Diseases Centre a reality.
“Just like the Mercantile Club, we would also love everyone else to organise their very own Christmas-themed activity or get involved with one of our fantastic festive fundraisers, such as our festive jumper day on Friday 16 December, to help us make a big difference to our brave patients.”
