Premier Inn kicks off UK-wide fundraising efforts in Penzance
A Cornish hotel team has launched a major new fundraising initiative to help transform the lives of seriously ill children across the UK.
The initiative, kicked off by the team at Premier Inn Penzance will see a beloved charity mascot travelling the length and breadth of the UK.
Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity’s (GOSH Charity) well-loved Bernard the Bear will be travelling to over 300 Premier Inn hotels in the south of the UK to raise £70,000 to help build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
The fundraising initiative, named Bernard Bear’s BIG South Relay, is being undertaken by the UK’s biggest hotel chain and will initially see Bernard travel to 310 of Premier Inn’s 850+ hotels across the whole of the south of England, starting in Penzance and working his way across to Margate and concluding on 5th June. He will take in locations including Premier Inn hotels in Weymouth, Bognor, Brighton, Gravesend along the way.
Each hotel on the route has a target of £230 to raise and if each hotel reaches that target, then teams will have raised an amazing £70,000 for GOSH Charity in under 30 days, with some hotels already exceeding expectations. The journey began at the Penzance Premier Inn, who have kicked the fundraising off with a bang and have already raised £340 for the charity.
With the help of Premier Inn team members, Bernard will then travel on foot, bike, road, sea and air to get to the next destinations on his travels.
Premier Inn is a long-standing partner of GOSH Charity since 2012 and is currently raising funds towards the building of a new world-leading Children’s Cancer Centre at the hospital, which will treat children from all over the UK, including from Cornwall and the South West
Natasha Lane, Operations Director for Premier Inn’s South division said: “We are really excited to be kicking off this mammoth fundraising task at our most southerly hotel in Penzance. The team at the hotel have got us off to a great start so that we can hopefully smash our £70,000 target!
Our partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity will see us becoming a founding partner for their latest appeal to help build a new Children’s Cancer Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and once built will provide leading cancer care for children from across the UK, including across the South West.”
Premier Inn Penzance Hotel Manager, Samantha Woodcock commented: “The team have been busy fundraising ahead of Bernard’s arrival, so that we could create some momentum for the task ahead.
“We have set the bar high by exceeding our target and are optimistic that our colleagues across the region can continue our excellent work – and we can’t wait to see what fun things the teams across our region have planned!”
ENDS
