We aim to raise a Packett for Guide Dogs
Packetts is heading towards its 100th anniversary. Established in 1920 the company is counting down to its centenary by selecting a charity which it will focus on for fund raising for the whole year. In 2016 it was Bradford charity ‘One in a Million’; in 2017 it has linked-up with a national – and equally deserving charity – Guide Dogs.
“Packetts are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of insurance to the charity sector,” says Director, Andrew Packett. “In fact we’ve had a close business relationship with Guide Dogs for 25 years, providing them with bespoke insurance arrangements to meet their changing needs. Their work makes life changing differences to thousands of people in the UK living with sight loss. That’s why we’ve selected them as our charity for the year.”
Over the next twelve months, Packetts’ 25 staff have arranged a series of events to achieve – or even beat – the ambitious £5,000 target. A team from Packetts are participating in the Bradford 10k run in March; there will be quizzes, weekly dress down days; an office tuck shop selling healthy snacks and a blindfold challenge evening. The flagship event takes place in June when staff, their families, clients, suppliers and other business contacts are being invited to walk the 25km of the Leeds Liverpool canal towpath from Leeds City Station to Packetts’ offices at Saltaire, representing their 25 year anniversary of working with Guide Dogs.
“We started our year of fund-raising on October 3rd to coincide with Guide Dogs Week,” says Packetts Managing Director, Marshall Sugden. “We’re now an official fund-raising partner for Guide Dogs, in what is the 85th year of the UK’s first guide dog partnerships. If all goes according to plan and we reach our target, the funds raised will be used to train a guide dog. He will be called Sydney, after Sydney Packett the founder of the Packetts insurance business all those years ago.”
Leanne Ledger, Corporate Partnerships Officer at Guide Dogs, said: “Every hour, another person in the UK goes blind and when someone loses their sight, we make sure they don’t lose their freedom as well. We are delighted that Packetts has chosen us as their charity of the year because we rely on donations to continue our life-changing work. Every pound raised makes a difference to people living with sight loss. There is a huge need for our help, as there are almost two million people in the UK who are blind or partially sighted, a figure that could double by 2050.”
