UPDATE: Since going to press this activity has raised £660, taking into account the addition of gift aid.
A staff fundraising initiative to support a construction charity has beaten its target by 900 per cent.
Members of the Rochester Bridge Trust team wore their pyjamas to work and raised £450 to The Lighthouse Club Construction Charity.
Paula Puxty, Chief Finance Officer at the Trust, explained: “A pyjama day may seem odd given everyone’s working from home, but we have lots of video calls with external contacts so we’ve been maintaining our dress code – it really is unusual for us to be sat working from home in pyjamas.
“As we’re all apart we set up a JustGiving page and asked for a minimum donation of two pounds. Having aimed to raise £50 we are incredibly proud of how successful our fundraising has been.”
The Lighthouse Club is the only charity that provides mental, physical and financial wellbeing support to construction workers and their families in the UK and Ireland.
Paula added: “Choosing The Lighthouse Club as the beneficiary of our fundraising was an easy decision. This is a vitally important charity for people in the construction industry – an often forgotten group of essential workers.
“Construction workers, such as our own Term Maintenance Contractor’s staff and everyone involved in the recent refurbishment of our bridges, carried on through all the lockdowns to keep infrastructure safe. This fundraising day recognises the important efforts of those people – including our wider team.”
The Trust first supported the charity during the Rochester Bridge Refurbishment Project, when in partnership with FM Conway more than £1,000 was donated as a result of the reporting of positive interventions.
As well as wearing pyjamas, onesies and dressing gowns to work, the team held a virtual get together that involved a silly quiz, teddy bears and the appearance of cuddly Langdon the Lion – the Trust’s education mascot.
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rochesterbridgetrust-pyjamaday to sponsor the team.
