King’s Lynn office helps Brown & Co raise nearly £40,000 for Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge

A property and business consultancy took on a fundraising challenge in memory of a colleague - and raised nearly £40,000 in the process.

Brown & Co, which has an office in Lynn, joined forces with Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust (ACT) in April last year, pledging to engage all of its 300 employees across the UK – and a staggering £38,664.38 for the cause was the end result.

The firm chose to fundraise for ACT in memory of colleague Danielle ‘Dannii’ Spauls, who was treated in Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge but died following a short illness.

As the official charity for Addenbrooke’s, ACT funds cutting-edge equipment, groundbreaking research, and improvements to the environment for both staff and patients.

Marketing manager Georgia Dawson, who is based in the firm’s Norwich office, said it was a “unanimous decision” to fundraise for ACT after losing Dannii.

Brown & Co partner Andrew Fundell said: “Each year, Brown & Co selects a charity to support. Following the loss of our colleague and friend, Danielle Spauls, after a short illness, we had no hesitation in choosing ACT in recognition of the incredible care and support the hospital provided to her and her family.

“Though Dannii was based in our Norwich office, all ten Brown & Co offices came together in her memory, dedicating the year to fundraising for ACT.

“From conquering the Yorkshire Three Peaks to taking on the Oxford Half Marathon and a Norfolk coastal walk, our teams united in her honour to make a difference.”

Talking about the initial work to get all the staff on board, Georgia said: “Bringing all the offices together was a key focus. With our vast network, with offices across the UK and as far north as Humber, we wanted to ensure everyone felt connected.

“To do this, Natasha, ACT’s corporate partnerships manager, set up a call with each office and made sure they all had tailored messaging and a particular focus point to drive engagement, and that massively helped to not only get employees on board but also help donations come in from the local communities.

“As well as honouring a colleague, Natasha really stressed the importance of the research that is carried out at Addenbrooke’s and that it will benefit beyond the Eastern region to hospitals across the whole of the UK.”

“She also came along to our quiz at our Norwich office that was our biggest fundraising event, raising a total of £7,000, and brought a letter with her written by one of the surgeons that had cared for Dannii, which was extremely moving.

“It was that extra touch that really helped to engage employees and also our clients as well.”

After 12 months of fundraising, Brown & Co presented a cheque for £38,664.38 at its head office in Norwich.

Speaking at the event, Natasha said: “We are so grateful for all the hard work of each and every Brown & Co employee who threw themselves into fundraising with such passion, despite some of them never having heard of Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust and Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

“The fact that all offices came together to raise such an impressive figure shows the high esteem that Addenbrooke’s is held in and that the work it does extends beyond the region both nationally and globally.”