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Throughout 2024, and as part of our 150th anniversary, Stags committed to raising £50,000 for four, local, cancer charities that make a real difference in the lives of those affected by cancer throughout the South West. Thanks to the tremendous efforts of our teams across all 22 offices, we are proud to say we exceeded this target, raising an amazing £72,200! This meant that each charity received £18,050 each.
None of this would have been possible without the enthusiastic support of our teams and local communities, who have truly gone above and beyond. There were beach cleans, moorland walks, a sky dive, pig racing, pub quizzes, and a group of staff members that swam the distance of the English Channel at the Bude Sea Pool. A few brave members of the team completed a demanding 420-mile cycle ride across the West Country, and all 200+ of us got involved with the ‘Great Stags Bake Off.’ These events were both fun and challenging but, more importantly, they allowed us to come together for a common cause.
It has been a pleasure to work with these four incredible charities: Ducks & Drakes Cancer Trust in Dorset, S.U.R.E. in Somerset, FORCE Cancer Charity in Devon, and Tanya’s Courage Trust in Cornwall. Each charity plays a vital role in providing support, treatment, and awareness, ensuring that no one must face cancer alone.
We caught up with the charities to find out a little more about what these funds will mean for their fundraising efforts.
Gail Wills, S.U.R.E. Fundraiser said: “Somerset Unit Radiotherapy Equipment, or S.U.R.E. as we are known, were delighted when chosen as the Somerset charity to benefit from the fundraising events being planned by Stags to celebrate their 150th Anniversary year in business …Thank you so much for all your effort to help S.U.R.E ensure the Beacon Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, stays as a centre of excellence in Radiotherapy treatment for the people of Somerset."
Olly Watts, Head of Income Generation at FORCE Cancer Charity said: “We are incredibly grateful for the amazing fundraising that Stags undertook throughout 2024. Their support is hugely significant in our mission to support people here in Devon who are living with a cancer diagnosis. The money they have raised could pay for 150 counselling sessions, 450 complementary therapy sessions, 600 personalised group physiotherapy sessions or 4,500 cups of tea and biscuits.
FORCE relies almost entirely on voluntary donations to run our services. Around 14,000 people in Devon are diagnosed with cancer every year and as numbers rise, so does the demand for the support we offer, free of charge, to patients and their families in Exeter, Okehampton, Tiverton and Ottery St Mary. Thank you to Stags for helping us provide the psychological, emotional, physical and practical help that more and more people need, support that is essential to the wellbeing of thousands of Devon residents touched by this dreadful disease.”
Annette Drake, Co-founder of Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust said: "We are overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and fundraising efforts shown by everyone at Stags. This remarkable donation of £18,050 will make a real and lasting difference to the lives of those affected by bowel cancer in our community … Their support will help us continue our vital work, ensuring that more individuals, families and local cancer organisations receive the support they need during their cancer journey. From all of us at Ducks and Drakes, we extend our heartfelt thanks to every single person who contributed to this amazing achievement."
Iris Billing & Nikki Empel-Newman, Founders of Tanya’s Courage Trust said: “… The donation [Stags] have given us is such an incredible amount of money, and we are so hugely grateful. We have never had a donation of [this] sum before, so it means so very much to us to have been chosen. Smaller charities like ours often get overlooked, so for [Stags] to have chosen us, really does mean so very much to us."
We are incredibly proud to have raised funds for these remarkable charities, whose work truly changes lives, and we hope that the what we have raised will continue to make a lasting impact for those who need it most.
