They’re better known for building beautiful spaces, but Beard’s team in Swindon will soon be helping to build a lifeline of care for seriously ill children and their families by fundraising for Julia’s House children’s hospice.
Beard has named Julia’s House as its Charity of the Year and hopes to raise around £4,000 to support our vital care for local families.
The award-winning construction company employs more than 130 staff at its head office in Swindon and the family-run business prides itself on its people-first approach.
Swindon director, Jamie Harwood, said: “Our family ethos and the wellbeing of the communities where we work will always be important to us, so selecting Julia’s House as our charity of the year was a natural choice.
“The difference that Julia’s House makes for families who are experiencing the toughest of times is remarkable and truly heart-warming and we couldn’t be more delighted to pledge our support.”
He said, “It also provides great opportunities for us to continue supporting the wellbeing of our staff through activities that bring social, physical and psychological benefits.”
Julia’s House children’s hospice provides essential care and support for local families who are caring round-the-clock for their seriously ill child. All the children who are cared for by the specialist nurses and carers at Julia’s House have a complex life-limiting or life-threatening condition and many are not expected to live beyond young adulthood.
Jo Common, Julia’s House Corporate Fundraiser, said, “We rely almost entirely on kind donations from our supporters to fund our care service for seriously ill children and their families across Wiltshire, from Swindon to Salisbury. Our nurses and carers are there for the whole family, providing care where and when it is needed most – in families’ homes, out in the community and at our hospice building in Devizes.
“Many of these families would have nowhere else to turn to for help, and they can feel exhausted and isolated. But thanks to the generosity of supporters like Beard, we can provide families with essential respite breaks, specialist clinical care, practical help and advice, complementary therapy, sibling support and more.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to the team at Beard for choosing Julia’s House as their Charity of the Year, and we’re looking forward to an exciting year of fundraising ahead.”
Last year, Beard’s Swindon based team took on the ‘Tough Mudder’ and 10 Peak challenges, flipped a lot of pancakes and re-introduced dress down days to raise more than £7,000 for their chosen charity, the Youth Adventure Trust.
“Our commitment last year was a rewarding experience and provided opportunities not only for the youth of Wiltshire but also our own people to challenge themselves for the better, and we hope to continue in that spirit in 2023,” said Jamie.
“We’re delighted to kick off our year of support for Julia’s House by signing up as official logistics partner for The Big Dog Art Trail, which is coming to Swindon for the first time this summer. Our services team will be safely delivering more than 30 Swindogs to their correct locations and back to the trail’s farewell and auction events, where they will find their forever homes when the trail comes to an end.”
He added, “We’re already involved in careful planning around this and are also looking at ways to raise awareness internally though activities in our wellness calendar, such as national walking month in May.”
