05 September 2019
As a business which believes in “Putting People First” our staff are committed not only to providing our customers with great service, but also giving their time and money to support various charities, in order to help others in need.
During the past few years, our Head Office in Leicestershire and 20 service centres based across the UK have raised funds for a number of local and national charities, supporting those who have fallen on tough times, such as financial hardship or deteriorating health.
We are exceptionally proud of all our staff members who have organised events and raised funds for these charities, during or outside of working hours, and as a tribute to International Day of Charity 2019, we are highlighting their efforts below.
One of the main charities our Head office have supported consistently over the last 4 years is the wonderful BBC Children in Need.
Although many of the daily living aids we sell are bought and used by older people, we are also keen to help young adults and children live independently by offering a range of Children’s Bathroom Equipment, Children’s Bedroom Equipment, Children’s Eating and Drinking Aids, and Children’s Mobility Aids.
In 2015, as part of our efforts for BBC Children in Need, we provided a number of local schools, whose students have additional needs, with special games and activities to make playtime more inclusive.
One of the schools to receive a free activity pack included West Gate School in Leicester and 2 representatives for NRS attended a presentation assembly for students and staff members to receive the donated items. Headmistress, Virginia Ursell, was thrilled with the gift, saying:
“We had a phone call from NRS Healthcare out of the blue to ask whether we’d like to receive some free activity equipment as part of their Children in Need efforts. Naturally, we were delighted to accept! It's really important for our young people to take part in group activities as part of their development, so we're thrilled NRS Healthcare are offering this gift and we are looking forward to welcoming them in to our school.”
Throughout 2016 – 2019, our Head Office have continued to support BBC Children in Need via a number of different fundraisers, including bake sales, quizzes, duck races, guess the number of sweets, a Baby Faced Beauties contest and even a 5K inflatable fun run! Everyone involved in the fundraising events agreed they not only brought a positive atmosphere to Head Office but also encouraged different departments to bond and grow better business relationships – which can only be a good thing!
Every Christmas, another one of the major charities our Head Office supports is Save the Children UK by taking part in their annual “Christmas Jumper Day” campaign.
Over the years we’ve had some fabulous fun popping on our favourite festivewear, even hosting an internal competition for the best Christmas outfit – judged by one of our esteemed Directors! It’s been a great way to celebrate the season whilst also raising funds for a good cause and no doubt we will continue our support of this campaign going forward.
When it comes to other national charities, we’ve also supported Jeans for Genes, The BHF’s Wear it. Beat it. campaign, Red Nose Day and the Royal British Legion. Our Leicester service centre, in particular, has been fundamental in raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support by hosting their own coffee morning for the past 3 years – even holding a “Best Baker” and “Guess the weight of the cake” contest to entice team members to get involved.
With 20 service centres operating across the UK, it’s not hard to understand why many depots are keen to support charities in their local area. The team at our Norwich service centre are particularly partial to fundraising, and each year they choose a worthy local charity to receive the funds collected by their staff chocolate shop and dress-down Friday events! Since 2016, they have donated funds to St Martin’s Housing Trust, Teenage Cancer Trust and Nelson’s Journey, totalling to over £2500.
One particular project we’ve been proud to take part in as a business over the past few years is The Phoenix Project – a collaboration between ourselves, Warrington Disability Partnership (WDP) and St Marks Universal Copts Care to send a range of disability living aids overseas and help those living in Egypt and Sudan (where disability equipment is often not readily available to those who need it).
Our strong partnership with WDP and St Marks, combined with all our hard work in sending over £400,000 worth of equipment overseas last year, paved the way for NRS Healthcare winning the award for “Best Contribution in the Community” at the 2018 BHTA Awards Dinner. Our Commercial Director at the time, Steve Kennedy, said of the project:
“NRS Healthcare and Warrington Disability Partnership share mutual goals – to push the boundaries of daily living aids and continue to raise awareness of what is available to make everyday tasks easier for disabled people and their families.
“For almost 70 years, NRS Healthcare has been proud to spread the word of daily living aids and help people throughout the UK lead a more independent life. Now we are proud to support WDP and St Mark in their vision to bring quality living aids to those in need overseas so they can enjoy a more confident and self-sufficient future.”
More recently, we have also worked with The England Amputee Football Association to supply them with a range of crutches to help them play to the best of their abilities and also donated a number of waterproof hooded ponchos to Castle Special Needs School in Cambridge, by request of a mum whose 12-year-old autistic son attends.
In short, as a company we will always endeavour to support those charities that are close to the hearts of our staff members and also the charities that can benefit from equipment to encourage independent living. We look forward to seeing what 2019/20 brings and hope you will consider joining us in fundraising for at least some of the charities we’ve mentioned in this article.
By subscribing you consent to us using your email address in accordance with our privacy policy.