Making a difference to your community
HiQ has an on-going commitment to the local community through its support of charities and local organisations. Individual HiQ Centres do this by direct fundraising and by using the HiQ Community Fund available to all centres, to support their fundraising efforts and generally build a relationship with the local community and make a real difference to those living there.
Many centres are already supporting a wide range of good causes - some of which are described below.
Building hope
Darren Haszcyn and Nigel Gravener from the HiQ Centre on Winterstoke Road, Weston-Super-Mare spent a week in Mumbai constructing simple, low-cost housing for some of the country's poorest people. The trip which was organised by the charity Habitat for Humanity, was completely self funded and to help cover the cost of the trip they organised a number of events, including a charity car wash.
Team work
Managers and staff from HiQ, High Street South, Dunstable played a big part in ensuring a charity rugby club were well kitted out for a recent international event. The donation of £750 was made to 'Periwinkles' - the Lymphoma Association rugby team - as part of its preparations for the recent International Festival of Rugby.
Helping hands
Managers and fitters from HiQ, Leicester Road, Loughborough recently handed a cheque for £300 to Emma Hall from the Rainbows Children's Hospice, which is raising money to provide respite, palliative and terminal care to families who have a child with a life limiting illness.
Cancer support
Managers and fitters from HiQ, Coach and Horses Roundabout, London Road presented a cheque for £300 to Mick Lyons from the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Rocky Appeal, which is aiming to raise £2m for a unique cancer laboratory at the Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Going for gold
Staff from the Spring Bank centre in Hull have lent their support to Golden Leaves, one of Hull and East Riding's leading charities which aims to provide medical aid and equipment to the elderly.
The charity was chosen to be the Hull Daily Mail's 'Charity of the Year' in January 2007 and the £300 donated by John Greening and his team is being used to help buy medical equipment designed specifically for the elderly.
Grass roots support
A team which enables more than 60 youngsters to get involved in grass roots football, has benefited to the tune of £300 thanks to a donation from staff at the Mansfield Road centre in Chesterfield.
Sommersall Rangers FC which runs training for teams aged between four and eight were able to buy new match kits and waterproof training tops with the money.
Hospital Watch
Managers and fitters from the HiQ Centre on Reading Road, Henley-on-Thames recently presented a cheque for £300 to Terry Buckett MBE, Chairman of the Townlands Action Group, which is aiming to gain as many donations as possible in order to keep the Townlands hospital - an important local facility - from closing.
We can do more
We'll be changing these case studies regularly so keep an eye out for other heart-warming stories. And if you're trying to raise funds for a good cause then why not drop into your local HiQ store and have a chat with the manager about how HiQ may be able to help.
