The Rank Group extends partnership to support unpaid carers
Carers Trust is delighted that the Rank Group has extended its groundbreaking partnership with the charity into 2020.
The hugely successful partnership has had a major impact in supporting Carers Trust’s work with hundreds of thousands of unpaid carers right across the UK. Since its inception more than five years ago in February 2014, the partnership with the Rank Group has raised a very impressive £2.3 million for Carers Trust.
Over the last five years the money raised from the partnership has benefitted over 11,000 unpaid carers. Funds have typically been provided to adult carers in the form of grants, distributed through Carers Trust’s network of 137 local carers charities.
These grants can be life-changing for carers struggling to provide round-the-clock care for members of their families experiencing long-term illness, disabilities, poor mental health or substance addiction. The grants provide money for essential household items that would otherwise remain unaffordable. Money for new beds, cookers and washing machines – or to pay for hospital visits – can have a major impact in making the lives of unpaid carers much more manageable.
Rank Group employees and customers have really engaged with the partnership since the start. Three employees took part in the London Marathon this year alone. And right across the UK Rank employees and customers have raised money through a myriad of fundraising activities – from sky dives to bake sales, football tournaments to sponsored walks and even Kilt Walks across Scotland.
Welcoming the Rank Group’s extension of the partnership, Carers Trust’s Director of Fundraising and Communications, Svetlana Kirov, said:
“This is wonderful news for Carers Trust and all the unpaid carers we are working with to make their caring responsibilities more manageable. On behalf of those carers, and everyone at Carers Trust, I’d like to offer our heartfelt thanks to Rank employees and customers for all their generosity and tireless commitment to going the extra mile to support carers.
And coming as it does within the context of an increasingly challenging funding environment, today’s announcement could not be more timely. Such sustained support for carers is also particularly important given the UK’s ageing population and the increasing pressure being put on health and social care budgets.”
John O’Reilly, Chief Executive Officer for The Rank Group comments:
“We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Carers Trust into its sixth year. The fantastic work that the charity does in supporting thousands of unpaid carers and providing tangible benefits to families in times of need, resonates with both our colleagues and our customers and spurs us all on to do great things.
“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved as a business in raising much-needed funds and the amazing spirit that comes from our clubs and support offices to organise all kinds of fund-raising events and activities. I am excited to see what the next year will bring and how much more we can raise across the group for this incredibly worthwhile charity.”