October Newsletter
Birmingham Hospice
Birmingham Hospice help people from all communities access the care of their choice at the end of life.
Dear Reader,
Welcome to latest edition of The Birmingham Hospice Link. This time, we focus on the incredible fundraising efforts of local accountancy company Ormerod Rutter, who held a charity football game in honour of a much-loved colleague. As well as this, there’s also a report on the success of our Dining for Dignity event, when Birmingham’s leading figures came out in support of the hospice.
Yours sincerely
Birmingham Hospice Corporate Fundraising Team
Ormerod Rutter donate thousands to hospice after fantastic football fundraiser in honour of much-loved colleague
Birmingham Hospice would like to thank Worcestershire-based accountancy firm Ormerod Rutter (OR), who raised an incredible ￡3,058 for us with a charity football match in memory of their colleague, Will Kwok.
Rachel Smith, Jayne Spiers, Neil Seager and Amy Cooper from the Droitwich company were given a tour of our Selly Park site on Wednesday 2 October, where Will was cared for in our Inpatient Unit (IPU).
Neil shared: “Will was a very valued member of our OR family. He was an accountant in our Accounts Team, and a very valued member of that team. He was loved throughout the whole company.”
Rachel added: “Will was one of the most respectful people I’ve ever met, he just would do anything for anybody, which is why we got such a good response.”
Will had been diagnosed with cancer in December 2023 yet he still remained focused on his work. He was three exams away from receiving his ACCA accounting qualification, and stayed working until just after Christmas. He sadly died in February 2024, aged 32.
The football match was a fitting tribute to Will, who was passionate about football and was the only player with a 100 per cent win rate in Ormerod Rutter’s weekly 11-a-side games.
Over 180 people came to watch the game, held at Bromsgrove Sporting FC's stadium, The Victoria Ground.
The wider team were keen to get involved, with Amy sharing: “Will was such a big part of the team. Everyone was just really happy to remember Will.
“It was important for us that we were doing it for Will’s memory. It was an added bonus for us to add some funds to somewhere that was so important for him.
“It’s not about us as a company but about him and his family and the hospice. That’s why people wanted to get involved.”
They made sure there was something for everyone at the event, with fun games for children and a buffet involved as well. The team have plans to make the game an annual tradition.
“The experience opened our eyes to how important raising money is for things like hospices who need it directly,” said Rachel.
Teams wore shirts with Will's last name on the back. Ormerod Rutter are a “big family”, which was especially true on the day, as the two partners at the practice who managed each team were brothers.
Neil said: “Had you asked Will what he’d liked to have done, that’s what he would have wanted, 100 per cent."
The experience and tour of the site helped the Ormerod Rutter team learn more about the important work we do to care for people at the end of their lives.
Neil added: “It’s made me passionate about raising more and seeing the difference it makes.”
If your company could support our services and raise vital funds we’d love to hear from you. Please email [email protected] , or visit our corporate fundraising page .
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?Birmingham's leading figures answer hospice invite to 'Dine for Dignity'
The city’s leading figures attended Dining for Dignity, a special event which drew attention to Birmingham Hospice’s work and highlighted the funding challenges faced by the sector in September.
We were joined by Deputy Lieutenant of the West Midlands Anita Bhalla OBE, High Sheriff of the West Midlands Doug Wright MBE, Mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker,?Erdington MP Paulette Hamilton and?President of the Greater Birmingham Global Chamber of Commerce Mark Smith, together with representatives of the media including Hits Radio and ITV Central.
The evening was hosted by hospice Chair of Trustees Dawn Ward CBE DL and compered?by Patron and former ITV Central news presenter?Llewela Bailey. Head of Care Services Kerry Millard and Income Generation Director Lucy Watkins also addressed the dignitaries.
Guests networked, learned more about the hospice’s services and how they can support us with both raising funds and campaigning for fairer funding.?
They also heard patients' and families’ stories, who explained how the hospice had helped them during the most difficult times in their lives.
Attendees also learned about the hospice’s Bulls in the City art trail for 2025, posed with ‘Brodie’, one of its smaller-sized bulls, stationed in the room on the evening, and the ‘Hearts and High Rollers’ Valentine’s Ball.
Dawn Ward said: “It was heartening to see so many friends of the hospice turn out to support us at this event, and there was a lively and positive discussion about how we can raise the profile of the hospice sector and influence decision-makers to give us the support we need.
“While we cannot fundraise our way out of this crisis, it was also fantastic to see the level of interest in our forthcoming fundraising events, including our Bulls in the City trail, which will be a great opportunity for the whole city to come out and show its support.”
Dates for the Diary:
Volunteers round-up
Beazley
Thanks to volunteers from Birmingham insurance company Beazley, who came out in force to help out at our Erdington and Selly Park hospices. The staff worked hard in our gardens, trimming, mowing, pulling weeds, and planting to create beautiful spaces for our patients, families, and hospice teams to enjoy.
A week later, our Corporate Fundraising team reconnected with Beazley staff to deliver free corporate bereavement training, helping them foster a supportive workplace for colleagues dealing with grief and loss.
Groundwork West Midlands
A huge thank you to a group of volunteers supported by Groundwork West Midlands, who gave up their time to help at our Selly Park hospice. The group was made up of community minded citizens from Hong Kong.
They arrived with some beautiful plants for the gardens and a range of arts and crafts materials, which they used alongside the patients in our Living Well Centre.
If your business or organisation would like learn more about volunteering for the hospice and what opportunities are available, please get in touch at [email protected] or visit our volunteers page.