Tag: Business

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Tameside College serves up spicy success for National Curry Week fundraiser

Tameside College’s Business Innovation team brought flavour, culture and community together for a good cause this month, hosting a National Curry Week celebration to raise funds for Willow Wood Hospice.

The event, held on Tuesday, October 7 at The Restaurant at Tameside One on Wellington Road, drew in staff, students and local food lovers for an afternoon of tastings and talks celebrating the best of South Asian cuisine and hospitality innovation.

Guests enjoyed a range of tasting plates prepared in partnership with local favourites Moksha Restaurant & Bar and Lily’s Vegetarian Indian Cuisine, with chefs sharing their expertise and passion for authentic dishes.

Alongside the feast, visitors also had the chance to hear how local hospitality businesses are working with the College to innovate, inspire new careers and grow skills in the region’s thriving food and drink industry.

Entry fees and donations went directly towards supporting patient care at Willow Wood Hospice, which provides vital services to patients and families across Tameside and Glossop.

Organisers said they were delighted with the turnout and generosity of those who attended.

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Meet our new Partnership Development Lead

We’re excited to introduce you to Joanne Lees, who is our new Partnership Development Lead at Willow Wood Hospice.

Born and bred in Ashton-under-Lyne, mum-of-three Joanne feels like she has “come home” and is fulfilling a long-standing ambition to make a difference working for a charity.

Her family have always supported charities since her eldest son Andrew, 38, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 22 months old.

As well as working for public services such as Tameside Council and Derby NHS Primary Care Team, Joanne has a vast array of experience working for corporate businesses – from Russell Hobbs to JD Sports and Sofology, part of the DFS Group.

As she begins a new chapter at the Hospice, Joanne is keen for every business in Tameside and Glossop to know all about Willow Wood, the extent of the services we provide, and our need to raise at least £3.3 million every year to continue operating.

She’s formulating exciting opportunities for businesses of all sizes to partner with the Hospice, for the benefit of both organisations.

“We’re developing packages for businesses which I think will be amazing,” she explained. “When you’re a busy business and you want to help a charity, you haven’t always got time to fundraise so our flexible packages will be ideal. No matter what size a business is, they will be able to participate.

“Away from the corporate model, if businesses just want to turn up to our network meetings and participate in that or pick the Hospice as their Charity of Choice, that’s fine as our packages are tailored towards what they want to do.

“We’re looking to introduce packages for our corporate volunteering offer too, so that we can maximise the benefits for both the Hospice and businesses.

“Each business tends to have at least one person who is the driving force behind supporting charities and I want Willow Wood to be at the forefront of their minds.”

If your business would like to partner with the Hospice, Joanne will be happy to provide you with more information – just drop her a line at joanne.lees@willowwood.org.uk or call 0161 330 7788.

We’re excited to see the connections she will develop.

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Hospice hosts inspiring business network event

Businesses across Tameside came together at Willow Wood Hospice for an inspiring evening of networking. 

Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub held its latest BGH Match event at the Hospice in Ashton-under-Lyne last Thursday (22nd February).

The free business connector network provides businesses across the region with opportunities to create new contacts and share ideas.

Positive conversations filled the room at the Hospice, where there was a strong turnout and lots of new connections made.

Some of the attendees making connections at the event

Insightful presentations were delivered by Sam Duncan, Willow Wood Hospice’s Director of Fundraising and Communications; Nick Shepherd, Business Development and Partnerships Manager at GM Business Growth Hub; and Councillor Jack Naylor, Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Inclusive Growth, Business and Employment.

Other representatives from GM Business Growth Hub and Tameside Council were also on hand to offer advice about fully-funded support available to businesses.

People in attendance also entered a charity raffle which helped to raise funds for the Hospice.

Sam Duncan, Director of Fundraising and Communications (left), and Willow Wood Hospice CEO Karen Houlston

Sam Duncan said: “It was a pleasure to welcome everyone to Willow Wood Hospice for a very productive evening of networking. I’m always proud to talk about our vital work.

“As an organisation, we recognise the importance of supporting local businesses of all sizes and developing longstanding partnerships for the benefit of our patients, staff and volunteers.

“Our corporate partners play a crucial role in enabling us to continue to care for local people, and those closest to them.”

Any businesses interested in supporting the Hospice in any way can find out more, including ways of getting in touch, at https://willowwood.org.uk/corporate-support/

By Adam Higgins

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Golf Day gives boost to hospice funds

Twenty teams enjoyed a tee-rific experience at this year’s Martin Wild Golf Day in support of their local hospice.

In total, the annual fundraiser at Ashton-under-Lyne Golf Club made £6,500 to help boost care for patients at Willow Wood Hospice.

The event on 19 August was kindly sponsored by Coolair Services, Marshall Peters and Dukinfield and Stalybridge Rotary.

The winning team was Walsh’s Angels, who stood out not only as this year’s champions but also for having the sole female player of the tournament.

Players were well looked after with plenty of refreshments and there was a team prize table for the teams finishing first to sixth.

Laura Marinelli, Events Fundraiser at Willow Wood Hospice, said: “It was the fourth time that I have organised this event and it raised more money than last year for our hospice so I’m truly thrilled with the outcome.

“Thank you to all of the volunteers on the day, the players for taking part and our generous corporate sponsors who contributed to the prizes.”

The event is promoted by Martin Wild, a former Lancashire amateur golf champion and a long-time supporter of the hospice.

If you’re interested in taking part in the next Golf Day, look out for details about next year’s event in due course.

By Adam Higgins

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Dunelm store in Ashton helps to furnish hospice

Dunelm in Ashton-under-Lyne has donated a generous amount of homewares and furniture to Willow Wood Hospice, who provide high quality care and support across the Tameside and Glossop community.

The donation of comfy chairs, cushions, lamps, bookshelves and accessories have been used to furnish the hospice’s bereavement rooms, meaning loved ones can spend quality time in a homely and comfortable space.

The store members at Ashton-under-Lyne chose to donate to Willow Wood Hospice as their staff have supported many of Dunelm’s store colleague’s friends and family, while the hospice also provided incredible care for two previous Dunelm employees during an extremely hard time.

Summer Law, Community Champion at Dunelm Ashton-under-Lyne, said: “The team at Willow Wood Hospice do such an important job caring for local people and we wanted to do our bit to make sure they continue to be cared for in a space that feels like a home away from home.”

Lisa Buckley, from Willow Wood Hospice, added: “We are delighted with the makeover the team from Dunelm Ashton-under-Lyne, it has provided in an extremely important space within the Hospice. We’ve received lovely feedback on how relaxing and peaceful the room is, we can’t thank the Dunelm team enough.”

The donation is part of the homeware retailer’s series of initiatives in the North West, which sees its network of stores support members of their local community in a variety of different ways, during what is a challenging time for so many.

The initiatives include the store’s new Home to Home homeware donation scheme, part of Dunelm’s wider commitment to a circular economy.

The Home to Home scheme, which is available at the Ashton-under-Lyne store, as well as Dunelm’s 17 other North West stores, allows customers to donate pre-loved homeware items from any retailer, to be redistributed to local charities and community groups in the region.

It enables people to reduce household clutter without sending items to landfill, while benefiting those in their local communities who may otherwise go without essential homewares.

From Tameside Reporter on Monday, 3 July 2023