At Taggstar, giving back is important, and we work with various charities to help support their work; one way we do this is by matching the amounts raised by our staff through our Giving Back programme. A Taggstar team led by sales executive Ian Green helped raise £2,048 for Thames Hospice by participating in a recent Tough Mudder event. Taggstar matched the amount the team raised so that we could donate £4,096 in total.
Nine of Taggstar’s team members took part in the Tough Mudder Challenge in aid of Thames Hospice in May, raising £2,048. The Tough Mudder London West event, in Henley-on-Thames in Buckinghamshire, is deemed the hilliest Tough Mudder course of them all.
Thames Hospice is the latest cause to benefit from the money we put aside for charitable donations for every contract we sign and for which all our employees are encouraged to submit suggestions. Those submissions are then assessed by the charity committee, which I have the honour to lead, to ensure we support various causes, ideally those where we know that our contribution will make a real difference and where our employees have a personal connection.
Thames Hospice was nominated by our enterprise sales executive Ian Green, who has been part of the Taggstar team since August 2022. One of Ian’s close relatives had experienced end-of-life care at Thames Hospice, and he was passionate about the service offered and the environment in which his relative was cared for.
The Hospice has provided inpatient and community palliative and end-of-life care services to people aged 16 and over across East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire for over 35 years. Stunning landscaped gardens surround its 29-bed inpatient unit, many with a view of the lake that also features on the site. The hospice also encourages the public to visit its lakeside café and shop to help support its work.
In December 2022, Thames Hospice enhanced its Hospice at Home service by introducing doctor-led care for patients at home, and its community-based support is currently more important than ever.
But although its services are free to all that need them, the running costs for Thames Hospice were £13.5 million in 2021-22. Since then, costs have risen further, hitting £15 million in 2022-23 and an estimated £19 million this financial year. As a registered charity, more than half of that funding has to come from charitable support.
Furthermore, due to the scarcity of nursing staff, the Hospice has had to close a wing containing eight beds temporarily and has become more ‘agile’ with Hospice at Home service. So Taggstar was delighted that our donation would pay for 17 ½ weeks of hospice at Home care for our patients in the local community.
We were pleased to be able to support Thames Hospice and the amazing work they do – and the team had a great time at the Tough Mudder, too – even if it was a little hilly!
