Are successful businesses compatible with being charitable?

Our Best Business Woman?

Are successful businesses compatible with being charitable? We definitely think they are - so much so that our MD Justine Perry will shortly be on the judging panel to decide the Charity Champion for the Best Business Women Awards. Fundraising for charity is something that Justine and her staff are often found doing, either as individuals or together as Team Cariad. So we thought this would be a good opportunity to ask her about her thoughts on the subject.?

What sort of fundraising does Cariad get involved with??

As a team we’ve done all sorts of things over the years. We've done fire walking, drag bingo, pub quizzes, walks, dog walks, half marathons, race nights, waxathons and, yes, cake making (and eating - lots of eating!). Families also love getting involved and we’re more than happy to include them too. We love rolling up our sleeves and getting dirty, so it was no surprise at all that when Team Cariad was in charge of one of the stations at a colour run, we ended up with red faces… bodies, arms, and legs! But it’s all good fun and in doing so we’ve raised thousands of pounds for local charities. In our tenth anniversary year we gave ourselves the target of raising ￡10,000 for Isabel Hospice, and in the end raised more than ￡11,000!

Why is it so important for the team to get involved with charity events??

When we’re recruiting, we’re looking for a special kind of human being. They not only have brilliant professional skills, they also have personality traits that show them to be empathetic and compassionate. Our charity fundraising is a shorthand way of showing potential team members what Cariad is all about. It’s also a lot of fun! And by shouting about it, we also attract like-minded people who want to work in an organisation like ours.?

Do you have clients who are charities??

Yes we do. We look after the lovely Muscle Help Foundation’s website which is run by the amazing Michael McGrath. The Foundation raises money to give young people with muscular dystrophy tailored experience days such as driving experiences at Silverstone, trips to major sporting events, flying lessons etc. As you’d expect, these young people need a lot of support on the days themselves, and I’m more than happy to give members of our team a day off to help out.?