Childcare teams brave a cold night out to help the disabled

The teams from employee-owned Childbase Partnership have raised more than £12,300 so far for Children Today, a charity supporting young people with disabilities.

Emerging from sleeping bags on flattened cardboard boxes outside the company’s Newport Pagnell headquarters, following one of the coldest nights of the year, the fundraisers from the company’s day nurseries said the challenge had also highlighted the plight of the homeless at this time of the year.

Oliver Baucutt, team leader at the Ofsted-rated ‘Outstanding’ Meadow View Day Nursery in Newport Pagnell, said everybody was determined to complete the challenge in aid of such a worthy cause.

He said: “We are surrounded by happy, healthy and confident children every day and were all really shocked to learn that young people who need specialised equipment to improve the quality of their lives are dependent on this charity. The equipment they need, like ventilation machines for cystic fibrosis sufferers, is not always provided by the NHS.”

Armed with sleeping bags, Children Today’s corporate fundraising co-ordinator, Tom Williams, and colleague Jessica Chiverton-Stanway, joined the nursery and head office teams praising them for adopting the charity for a year-long fundraising drive.

Mike Thompson, CEO of Childbase Partnership, Employee Owned Business of the Year and a UK National Champion in the European Business Awards, praised the fund-raisers at the start and end of the challenge.

He said: “My colleagues never fail to amaze me in how far they will go in pursuit of various challenges and their support for worthy causes. Over 100 people from every area of our company – directors, managers, practitioners and administrators – turned up for a sandwich, a cup of soup and a night sleeping on cardboard in our car park. The sacrifices made have resulted in £12,300 so far for Children Today and the total keeps rising. That is impressive.”