Surrey-based building company Natta put their support of our hospice at the heart of their community-based approach. They are incorporating their fundraising for us as a chosen charity into their day-to-day activities, to reach a £10,000 target.
During the summer of 2020 they invited our hospice to hold a book sale on their premises as part of their Wellbeing Week. This gave our team the opportunity to meet Natta staff (and recruit some as hospice volunteers at the same time).
They also launched a 13-week ‘Biggest Loser’ weight loss competition: for every 1kg lost, Natta will donate £2 to our hospice. In addition, we received a fantastic £7,500 donation from their charity golf tournament, which promoted our cause to the players.
Like fellow Business Supporters Seymours Estate Agents, Natta is a force to be reckoned with at our annual Dragon Boat Races, entering two teams in both 2018 and 2019, and triumphantly rowing to victory in last year. Across the two years they raised almost £4,000 in sponsorship from rowing.
At the hospice itself, Natta created the ‘Wildwood Garden’ in 2018, an enclosed wildlife-friendly garden to the rear of our new building. The design incorporated a water fountain from our old hospice, which had great sentimental value. Natta donated all the manpower, machinery, materials and expertise for the 4-week project, worth an estimated £15,000. They excavated and cleared the old space, prepared the ground and constructed all of the hard landscaping areas. During a follow-up visit they worked alongside our gardening team to plant out the garden design and construct a wild animal habitat, sharing skills and the achievement with the hospice volunteers.
Hospice Director of Fundraising Phil Wormley said: ‘Natta is a great example of a company that has its charitable support woven into the fabric of its business activities. We want our corporate supporters to feel their support of our hospice benefits them. At Natta it is very clear that they embrace those team-building opportunities and that the ethos of helping those in need informs all they do. We are very grateful to be chosen as one of their official charities.’
Managing Director John Whelan said: ‘Here at Natta, we are committed to the highest level of corporate responsibility with community engagement being at the forefront of our company values. This is why it is so important for us to support local causes in the areas where we work. The Natta team loves a challenge and taking part in the hospice’s Firewalk in 2019 was a great way for nine of our team members to join together to raise £470. We are also proud to have created the Wildwood Garden as a beautiful space for patients, their families and friends to enjoy and relax in when they are experiencing difficult times. For our employees, it was a hugely rewarding project to be involved with as the team were able to see first-hand the positive effects of their efforts.
