Christmas Jumper Day in aid of Save the Children rounded off a year of charitable activities here at HPP and takes our charity total to more than £6550.
We were among the hundreds of thousands of people nationwide who donned their finest festive knitwear in aid of the charity, which has helped 47 million children across the world get the medicines, good food and education they need.
We've raised over £250 surpassing our total target both online and offline. Online we have a set target of £150 and we are currently on £42, so if you've not donated already, please make a contribution on our JustGiving page.
The day was organised by Assistant Marketing Manager, Kenika Gumbs, who says: "Save the Children is a wonderful cause, and by making a donation you'll be supporting children at home and abroad to stay safe and healthy and get the education they deserve for a brighter future."
Christmas Jumper Day was our final charity event of 2024, a year in which we've raised and donated £6,555 - and counting - to good causes.
We began the year with a £2,000 donation to support the incredible local man Frank Rothwell who completed his second epic journey rowing 3,000 miles across the Atlantic solo.
Frank, the 74 year old owner of Manchester Cabins and Oldham Athletic football club, braved two capsizes as he rowed from the Canary Islands to Antigua to raise funds for Alzheimer's Research UK.
We then raised £350 in support of World Cancer Day in February, donating the money to Maggie's Cancer Centre in Oldham, part of a UK-wide and overseas network of cancer support hubs, giving cancer patients, their families and friends practical, emotional and social support.
It was while presenting our cheque, that our Marketing and Business Development Director, Dan Mounsey, spotted the opportunity to raise money for Maggie's with a skydive.
Fast forward nine months, and Dan, along with HPP joint founder and owner Martin Hill and IT Director Andy Evans, took to the skies from the Black Knights Skydiving Centre at Cockerham, south of Lancaster, which offers the highest skydive in the UK - 15,000ft, which is almost three miles high, instead of the more common 11,000ft - raising £2,265 for Maggie's.
In between, we raised £1,500 in one weekend in July when our HR Manager, Carole Hamnett-Sadler, ran her umpteenth (she's lost count!) Race for Life in aid of Cancer Research UK at Heaton Park, joined by Kenika, who was challenging herself in the 5k race for the very first time.
A day earlier, six hardy HPP souls - completed the Three Peaks of Saddleworth in aid of Mahdlo Youth Zone, completing the 14-mile trek just three minutes past the six-hour mark, putting them among the first finishers.
Our other 2024 charity day was for Wear It Pink, which surpassed all expectations and raised £400 for Breast Cancer Now, the UK's largest breast cancer charity.
It was the ninth year we've supported this great cause and this year's £400 takes our fundraising total to more than £3,000 over that time.
A big THANK YOU to everyone who has joined in with our charitable activities this year. Now get set for 2025!