Lloyds TSB staff have donated ?350 as part of the community Bank’s Day to Make A Difference scheme while two lucky colleagues were given the privilege of helping the judging panel prior to the annual St Christopher’s Celebration of Achievement awards.
Following an impressive presentation from over 50 candidates, Lloyds TSB’s Paul Lake and Caly Gardner were hard pressed to choose their top three winners from the children’s category, who they felt to be most deserving of a prize. After receiving a small donation from colleagues, the Lloyds TSB team provided a selection of trophies along with a small gift for each winner, and awarded St Christopher’s with the cheque of ?350 which was raised by colleagues during the Bank’s Make a Difference dress down day.
A Manx registered charity, St Christopher’s is one of the leading voluntary providers of services for children and young people on the Isle of Man and provides a varied range of services, including children’s homes, secure care homes, aftercare services and supported housing. St Christopher’s Isle of Man is committed to safeguarding the welfare of young people through providing a stable, safe environment in which they can thrive.
Steve Taylor, head of children’s residential services at St Christopher’s, commented on the event: “I would like to express my gratitude to Paul, Caly and their colleagues for all the support and assistance they provided in making the celebration evening such a success. It is always a special moment in our year’s work watching so many young people who have had to deal with so many difficulties in their lives just have an evening where they can enjoy themselves. This was only made possible by the hard work and dedication of the organising committee to which Caly and Paul made a valuable contribution.”
Lloyds TSB’s Caly Gardner also commented: “My colleague, Paul Lake, and I wanted to do something that involved children for our Day to Make a Difference and we came across the St Christopher’s charity through a volunteering opportunities document in the office. St Christopher’s provides a diverse range of services on the Island including fostering, children’s homes, secure care home, aftercare services and supported housing. We found out that the charity needed some help with their annual “Celebration of Achievement”. The charity holds this event to recognise and celebrate the successes of young people, foster carers and staff. After a further meeting with the charity they then asked if we would like to get involved with the actual awards ceremony and nominate three children to receive awards, which we were delighted to be asked to do. Paul and I thoroughly enjoyed our Day to Make a Difference experience and would encourage you all to volunteer, it’s a fantastic initiative.”
Photo – The Lloyds TSB team helping out at St. Christopher’s.
