Member Article

Dawson & Sanderson launches charity partnership

NORTH-EAST travel agency Dawson & Sanderson has teamed up with Daft As A Brush to help the cancer charity beat its fundraising targets.

The Newcastle-based firm is aiming to raise around £20,000 a year to help Daft As A Bush cancer patient care provide its free transport service for patients across the north of England.

Staff at Dawson & Sanderson have already lined up cake bakes, tuck shops, bike rides, sponsored runs and a zip wire dash from the Tyne Bridge to help beat the target.

Customers will be also offered the chance to make a contribution of £1 per booking towards Daft As A Brush’s innovative service which collects cancer patients from their homes for hospital appointments before dropping them back home afterwards.

Chris Harrison, Managing Director of Dawson & Sanderson, said: “We were looking for a North East charity to support and the answer was right on our doorstep. The Daft As A Brush ambulances are so eye-catching ferrying patients and their families to appointments.

“It’s an amazing charity with such an inspiring story to tell and a real credit to the North East. I am thrilled that both our staff and customers have shown genuine affection and support for Daft As A Brush and we have already raised almost £2000 in little over a month.”

Backed by a team of 250 volunteers, www.daftasabrush.org.uk was set up by former entrepreneur and businessman Brian Burnie who gave away his fortune to establish the Gosforth-based charity.

Over the last six years, it has gone from two ambulances to 20, providing more than 20,000 patient journeys a year. The service has also expanded into transporting children and their parents to hospitals across the north.

Dawson & Sanderson is one of the UK’s largest independent travel agencies and is still owned by the same family who set it up 53 years ago. The firm has a strong focus on helping its staff, customers and the community, and became the first travel agency in the country to scrap credit card fees for bookings while its award-winning apprenticeship scheme was recognised as the best in the North East.

Each of Dawson & Sanderson’s 22 branches – from Ashington in the north to Doncaster in the south – have been set a fundraising target with staff encouraged to come up with innovative and fun ideas while Daft As A Brush collection boxes have been placed in each branch.

Daft As A Brush founder Brian Burnie said: “It’s fantastic that Dawson & Sanderson has decided to help us in this way and very much appreciated. The firm is a well-established North East brand and like ourselves is proud to support the people and communities of the region.

“I have heard of some of the fantastic fundraising ideas the staff have already started and the Daft As A Brush team thank them from the bottom of our hearts for their support.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Jonathan Ward .