British caterer Searcys has announced it has raised over £99,000 this year, over half of its £175k fundraising target for 2022.
One of the UK’s first British event caterers, 2022 marks Searcys’ 175th anniversary. The caterer launched its £175k charity pledge at the beginning of the year to honour the milestone as well as the brand's founder, John Searcy, who launched the company in 1847.
Searcys is fundraising for a number of its charity partners, including Beyond Food, Hotel School and Julian House in Bath. From fundraising across its venues to charity runs and #CookForUkraine events (raising £10,000!), Searcys’ fundraising has varied hugely throughout the year so far. The company has even donated one workday for each employee to do charity work at their choice of cause, making a difference across employees' local communities.
Searcys' Charity Pledge is just part of the company’s celebrations throughout 2022, which includes the refurbishment of Europe’s longest Champagne bar at St Pancras International Station, set to reopen this month.
Perhaps the highlight of Searcys’ fundraising this year was the company's charity bike ride, 'The Tour de Searcys'. Over 3 days, the team, led by managing director Paul Jackson, rode 175 miles between all 18 Searcys venues – from The Honourable Artillery Company across to the Barbican and The Gherkin, up to Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and ending at The Pump Room in Bath. Over £18,000 was raised for Searcys’ chosen charities.
'Delivering our £175k charity pledge to celebrate the company’s 175th birthday has been a tremendous team effort,'explains Paul Jackson, Searcys Managing Director. 'Our vision has been to build a platform for each and every one of our people to support causes close to their hearts. Examples include wonderful Jenny Sunwar from the Barbican who ran 175km in the month of February, our people team who took part in Moonwalk in support of Breast Cancer research and colleagues across the company have run, cycled, baked and organised raffles. Whether large or small, every effort matters and every contribution is greatly appreciated.'
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Searcys’ parent company Westbury Street Holdings has also been getting involved in the fundraising efforts, taking part in the Royal Parks Challenge in August for Searcys’ 175k charity pledge. The team there walked 26 miles in support of Beyond Food, with the money raised going towards a travel hardship fund, supporting individuals’ travel in or across London to attend the Freshlife programme and to partake in work experience at Brigade Bar + Kitchen.
Searcys’ fundraising efforts will continue for the rest of 2022, with the goal of reaching the £175k target. Upcoming events include a charity reception for New Horizon Youth Centre at the Gherkin on 5 September and a gala for Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) on 26 October at The Inner Temple in the City. Searcys will also continue to donate a workday for each team member for personal charity work.
With all the team's hard work so far and some exciting upcoming events, Searcys’ is sure to meet its £175k target by the end of the year.
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