Reward Finance is a significant finance group with offices based in England, Scotland, and Wales. Each year, the company elects a Charity of the Year, and in September 2022, we were so pleased to discover they chose to support PAPYRUS. With our partnership coming to an end this month, we are reflecting on what a fantastic – and very active – year it has been working closely with the Reward Finance team.
To kick-start our partnership last year, we delivered a SP-ARK (Suicide Prevention – Awareness, Resource, Knowledge) session to Reward Finance employees across the UK. This gave the team an opportunity to achieve:
- increased awareness of Suicide and Suicide Prevention,
- information about what we do at PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide,
- an understanding of our message of hope and the encouragement of action for a suicide-safer community,
- and a deeper understanding of the importance of self-care.
This was a brilliant way to initiate our partnership, allowing us to share our goals and aspirations to promote positive mental health and emotional wellbeing in young people, and shatter the stigma surrounding suicide. It also allowed us to better understand why the corporation chose PAPYRUS for their Charity of the Year so we could tailor our partnership to suit their goals and experiences. Reward Finance also utilised the SP-ARK session to aid in developing their Mental Health Strategy, so we hope that the positive impact of this training session for Reward Finance shall be long-standing.
Over the course of our partnership, Reward Finance took part in a wide variety of fundraising initiatives. These included a Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, our Skydive for PAPYRUS, and a 220-mile cycle in one day. They also organised a darts tournament and a charity quiz night, both a brilliant success, with over 200 of Reward Finances’ business contacts attending. It is fair to say the organisation has been incredibly busy over the last 12 months, and its commitment has been truly commendable!
The skydive was a particular highlight for Katie Ayron, Events Manager at Reward Finance, who said:
“I absolutely loved doing my skydive. I was so nervous, but the money we raised and the reason for doing it made it all worth it! I took part in the challenge as I wanted to raise as much money as possible for such an amazing charity, which I and the rest of my team at Reward voted for. The support from PAPYRUS has been fabulous, and as a business, we would love to take part in more activities to ensure we raise vital funds for a very important cause.”
If you think you and your colleagues are brave enough to participate in a charity skydive, then please take a look at our challenge events page here.
As our year as the organisation’s chosen charity comes to an end, Reward Finance has raised an incredible £32,00. This sum of money will be life-changing for young people across the UK, and we could not be more grateful to their team for all their efforts. Just as importantly, we appreciate the opportunity to spread awareness about suicide prevention into a broader community.
As Nick Smith, Reward’s Group Managing Director, explains, “The work PAPYRUS does is invaluable to our society and vitally important, especially in today’s climate. In conjunction with the launch of our Wellness Team and our heightened focus on mental health within our teams, it was an obvious choice to partner with a charity that provides incredible support to those most in need.
“Working closely with PAPYRUS and seeing their efforts to prevent young suicide in the UK, as well as to break the stigma linked to suicide, has enriched our understanding and commitment to the cause. The team here at Reward worked tirelessly to raise as much as possible, and the final figure of £32,000 exceeded our ambitious target. Well done to everyone involved, and we all wish the charity ongoing success in helping vulnerable young people.”
We want to thank Reward Finance for their fantastic support over the past year. We wish the company all the best in future and will keep in touch with the company in the hopes of getting them on board with our future initiatives.
