Bears pair present cheque to Acorns after derby day fundraiser

Sam Hain and Craig Miles took time to visit youngsters at Acorns Children’s Hospice – and handed over a cheque for almost £6,000 thanks to the generosity of Bears’ lead Vitality Blast sponsor Talbots Law.

matc

2023-07-04T11:39:10.000Z

The Midlands-based law firm nominated Acorns as its charity partner for Vitality Blast derby against Worcestershire Rapids to help raise funds for its three regional hospices.

More than 30 Acorns volunteers helped with bucket collections, fans were encouraged to make £5 or £10 text donations, and the Club held raffles in hospitality areas with prizes including tickets for Blast Finals Day.

The fundraising efforts raised a total of £5,896 for Acorns hospices in Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester which provide specialist palliative care for life limited and life threatened children and support to their families.

Abi Coulson, Acorns Senior Partnership Fundraising Manager, said: “What an incredible show of support…an amazing amount raised! Huge thanks to Talbots Law for donating the game to Acorns and special thanks to the Bears and all their fans for really getting behind their local children’s hospice and taking us into their hearts.

“We need £27,000 every day to provide our lifeline care and support and we rely on donations and money raised by the community and local businesses for the bulk of this amount. So we really can’t thank Talbots and the Bears enough.”

Sam and Craig spent time at Acorns Worcester hospice playing with seven-year-old Sophia – who acted as their enthusiastic tour guide – before speaking to staff to learn more about the charity’s work.

“It’s an amazing centre,” said Bears leading Blast run scorer Hain. “It’s a lovely place for the children to stay and play, plus it means families can enjoy respite from caring responsibilities knowing their children are being well looked after.

In the past year, Acorns has cared for more than 700 children and almost 1,000 families, including those who are bereaved.

Dave Hodgetts, CEO of Talbots Law, said: “We were delighted to donate our match sponsorship of the Birmingham-Worcestershire derby to such a worthy cause and equally excited to see the charity use the platform to raise such a fantastic amount.

“We’ve been privileged to see the invaluable work of Acorns Children’s Hospice first-hand, and will continue to do everything we can to support the charity so that they can be there for families in their hour of need.”