Following on from his involvement with local organisations and charities, Andrew Reynolds learnt of a local hospice ‘The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice’ (PTH) that due to funding cuts was facing the possibility of closing a ward.
Andrew said ‘Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice is an organisation that has touched many families in and around the local area, and after learning of their current situation regarding bed closures and their Living Appeal I wanted to find out if I could help.’
‘What is really special about the PTH is the fact that they offer such amazing care, their facilities are of the highest standard and on my first visit I was struck by how ‘un hospice’ it felt – the whole place had a warm friendly feel and everywhere you looked were home comforts – when I met the staff and patients you couldn’t help to notice how high the standard of care was – and given the negative press recently associated with care homes and hospices – I was genuinely bowled over by how the whole organisation had exceeded my expectations.’
After meeting Sarah Brocklebank the CEO of PTH and Obviously after hearing of the Living Appeal and learning more about staffing, their plans for the coming years, current redevelopment works going on, Andrew knew there could be a way that could help financially but more importantly also help with raising the Hospices profile and getting other businesses involved.
Andrew added, ‘The first offer we made was to produce a fundraising film which would aim to raise their profile, inform businesses of their existence, but most importantly make businesses aware of the different ways they can get involved. As a TV Channel company we felt we had the skills and expertise to make this happen for them and have assisted them in the whole process right from storyboarding and scripting, through to filming and editing.’
‘The second and most significant area of support we offered was in the sponsoring of the CNS Nurse team. As a successful business we are always on the lookout on how we can get involved in the community, but more importantly find ways where our support is directly measurable and not lost in capital projects which is sometimes the case.’
The Clinical Nursing Specialist (CNS) Nurse team is a brand new initiative from PTH that means they will have the ability to go out and treat patients in their homes within the local community. Recruiting staff and securing funding for posts was a stumbling block for the project to take off so Andrew agreed to finance the running of one of the CNS Teams for 3 years at just over £56,000 a year, directly funding a Specialist Nurse Team, a Vehicle, equipment such as Laptops. Mobile Phones etc.
Nearly 6 years later Andrew is still heavily involved with the Hospice. He not only funded the CNS team for the initial 3-year launch, but following on from the success and direct positive impact it had on the local community, Andrew pledged a further £180,000 to continue the scheme for a further 3 years.
Andrew has also contributed further funding over the years including a £10,000 personal donation live on stage at one of his Bootcamp events when it was announced that Andrew was to be made President of the Hospices Business 100 Club – which was set up after Andrew helped promote the Hospice to a number of local businesses, increasing their funding reach.
More recently Andrew agreed to help fund a fundraising initiative that involved a ‘Win a Car’ prize draw.
The 2010 raffle, which gives supporters and the public the chance to win a brand new Toyota Yaris, will help raise much needed funds for the Hospice.
With the generous support of Inchcape Toyota Guildford, the car was purchased using donations from two Hospice supporters Andrew Reynolds and GVA Grimley Associate, Peter Robinson.
“We are extremely grateful to Andrew Reynolds and the management at GVA Grimley who jointly have generously donated such a fantastic first prize,” says Andrew Cox, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. “The money raised from the raffle will go towards free care for our patients and their families so our aim this year is to encourage even more people to enter by giving them the chance to win a car!