Cancer Research UK Honours Business

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 12 May 2008 - 11:00 PDT

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Cancer Research UK has this week celebrated its inaugural Business Supporters' Awards, in celebration of the contribution made by business to help the charity beat cancer.

The event, held on Tuesday 6th May at the Royal College of Surgeons, London, brought together the charity's biggest supporters from the world of business to recognise the very best in business and charity partnerships and to inspire future relationships. The Awards were hosted by broadcaster and Cancer Research UK supporter Nicholas Owen, who beat kidney cancer in 2002.

Cancer Research UK invited nominations for seven awards categories which recognise the many different ways in which business supports the charity. This resulted in 43 nominations.

The task of whittling down the entries fell to the experienced panel of judges which comprised senior Cancer Research UK staff and two independent external judges, Lindsay Boswell, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising and Mike Tuffrey, founding director of Corporate Citizenship.

The winners are:

- Outstanding achievements through employee fundraising: Network Rail, for delivering outstanding fundraising and health messaging initiatives to a hard to reach demographic of 33,000 staff, with tremendous commitment throughout the organisation.

- Greatest achievement in cause related or affinity marketing: TK Maxx, for its third GiveGet stock generation campaign. The integrated marketing campaign helped to generate over 150,000 bags of stock to be sold in Cancer Research UK shops.

- Exceptional results through sponsorship: NIVEA, whose significant and memorable "on the day" presence, promotion and sampling activity at Race for Life events in 2007 made a tremendous boost to the experience of runners and their spectators.

- Best payroll giving campaign: RBS Retail, who created a significant promotional campaign to support the re-launch of the Give As You Earn (GAYE) policy to employees. This resulted in payroll donations of over £500,000 in 2007.

- Best supplier to Cancer Research UK: Roc Design, for producing an engaging identity for all the marketing materials supporting the Cancer Research UK garden at the Chelsea Flower Show and providing a valued design service for other event marketing materials.

- Special achievement award for individual support: Stuart Boags, divisional director of B&Q, whose Central and Northern Ireland region has raised 80% of B&Q's total employee fundraising donations. Stuart's passion for the cause has enthused his colleagues, and his leadership has been instrumental in the achievements of his region and B&Q as a whole.

- Special achievement award for outstanding corporate support in 2007/8: TK Maxx, for this year's GiveGet campaign, staff fundraising and till-point donations which raised £3.4 million pounds of stock and cash donations, making this year's campaign the most successful to date.

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's Chief Executive, joined Nicholas Owen to present the awards. He said: "I've been highly impressed by the extent of involvement many companies have with Cancer Research UK and would like to thank every one of them for their support. The first Business Supporters' Awards recognises the importance of these relationships by celebrating the very best in business and charity working together and we hope it will be the first of many as we strive towards the shared vision of beating cancer."

Further details on short-listed nominations:

Award for Outstanding achievements through employee fundraising

- Short-listed: Alliance and Leicester, Network Rail, Peacocks and Standard Life
- Winner: Network Rail

Greatest achievement in cause related or affinity marketing
- Short-listed: Halifax Bank of Scotland/HBOS, The Pampered Chef, Peacocks, TK Maxx
- Highly Commended: The Pampered Chef
- Winner: TK Maxx

Exceptional Results through Sponsorship

- Short-listed: Nivea (Beiersdorf UK Ltd) and Anglo Irish Bank
- Highly Commended: Anglo Irish Bank
- Winner: Nivea

Best payroll giving campaign

- Short-listed: RBS Retail
- Winner: RBS Retail

Best supplier to Cancer Research UK

- Short-listed: HWA, Pell & Bales, Prolog, ROC Design and WWAV Rapp Collins
- Winner: Roc Design

Special achievement award for individual support

- Short-listed: Claire Curtiss from Barclays Bank (South Wales), Diane Shaw of Network Rail, Laura Kennedy, Marie Lowry from RBS Retail, Stuart Boags from B&Q and Alan Johnson of British Gas
- Winner: Stuart Boags

Special achievement award for outstanding corporate support in 2007/8

- Short-listed: B&Q, My Travel, Network Rail, Peacocks and TK Maxx
- Highly Commended: Peacocks
- Winner: TK Maxx

About Cancer Research UK

- Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer.
- Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer.
- Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients.
- Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make.
- Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer.

Cancer Research UK