Corporate support crucial for Richard House

One charity benefiting from corporate support is Richard House hospice in Beckton, which provides care for children with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.

Its success has been well documented and support from businesses like City Airport, Clifford Chance, HSBC, Canary Wharf Group and BGC Partners is crucial in ensuring that care continues to be given.

Alex Speke, corporate partnerships manager at Richard House, explained why the support of local business is so important.

He said: "Corporate sponsorship is a vital part of our annual income. We have about 50 active corporate supporters, accounting for about 50 per cent of the £1.8million we raise.

"We've had a very good year this year, raising just short of £700,000 and we're hugely grateful for that because these are very tough times for everybody.

"And we've been fortunate in terms of our supporters because many of them have been with us for a number of years, through things like the Richard House Society."

Canary Wharf companies are not the only organisations who support the hospice. City institutions provide a substantial amount of the annual figure, while City Airport are also key sponsors.

Richard House has also benefited from the support of West Ham United, with ex-Hammer Joe Cole a patron of the hospice.

"The club have been excellent with us over the past two seasons and will be having a fundraising day for us when they play Chelsea later in the season, which is brilliant," said Alex

But the corporate fundraising team of Alex, Fenella Bain and Emily Robinson (pictured above) are not resting on their laurels and are actively working on the challenge of bringing in more money.

"Our supporters are very inventive when it comes to thinking up new fundraising activities," said Alex.

"HSBC have a team entering the Three Peaks Challenge in September, while a lot of Wharfers took part in the London to Paris bike ride last year.

"We are careful to try and time our efforts so they don't clash with big national fundraisers like Children In Need or Comic Relief.

"Finding new support is more difficult but unfortunately the need for the money does not go away. The children we look after are reliant on it and that makes us determined to do our best.

"And the best thing is anyone who raises funds for us is able to come down here and see exactly how that money is being spent, and there's no greater reward than that."

If you are interested in becoming a corporate supporter of Richard house contact Alex on alexs@richardhouse.org.uk.

For more information on Richard House visit rrichardhouse.org.uk.