The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.
Pyjama Fairies based in Manchester, which makes pyjamas and surgical gowns specially designed for babies and children up to age 16 having surgery or any other associated medical test, and Age Concern Manchester, which is committed to ensuring that older people live longer and happier lives (see notes for full list1), are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.
7,044 Greater Manchester residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 178 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.
The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at www.movementforgood.com/12days
Thanking supporters in Greater Manchester, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “Owned by a charity, here at Ecclesiastical our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, so charitable giving is at the heart of our business. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do, and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better. We hope these donations can bring a positive end to a difficult year and a promising start to 2021.”
A representative from Pyjama Fairies said: “Pyjama Fairies mission is to make hospital stays easier for children and their families. Winning the £1,000 allows us to buy fabric to make 100 garments for a donation to a Children’s Ward at a UK Hospital, making a difference to 100 children who are undergoing medical intervention, surgery or tests. Due to the current pandemic, our funding has been significantly cut. This really will help us to keep helping the people who need it the most.”
A representative from Age Concern Manchester said: “The generous funding from Ecclesiastical will help support our ongoing Covid-19 Emergency Response Service, where we support older, vulnerable people in the community who cannot access face-to-face services at this time. Specifically, the funding will allow us to make more than 450 telephone welfare calls to older people to ensure they have someone to talk to, that they are safe and well and that they have food in the cupboards and essential prescriptions on hand.”
Last year, Ecclesiastical launched its latest Impact Report to celebrate some of the many good causes it has helped.
