BUSINESS NEWS Mammoth goal
for good cause The Birmingham office of legal firm Pinsent Masons has chosen Cure Leukaemia as its official charity and aims to raise £40,000 to fund a specialist research nurse in 2016. Pinsent Masons staff have
supported the blood cancer charity since 2012, raising nearly £38,000, after taking part in a number of events including the Great Birmingham Run, a London to Paris biker ride last June and another ride in the Warwickshire countryside. Another bike ride is due to take
place this summer, and the firm will also be entering a team of cyclists for London 2 Paris in May. All funds raised will support
Professor Charlie Craddock and his team of clinicians based at the internationally renowned Centre for Clinical Haematology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Greg Lowson, Chamber president
and head of office at Pinsent Masons in Birmingham, who is also a trustee of Cure Leukaemia, said: “We are honoured to support such a fantastic Birmingham charity once again. I know the tremendous work that Professor Craddock and his team do to help people battling this dreadful disease and we are proud to support them. “Every penny raised goes
towards helping save lives and continuing progress towards finding a cure and Birmingham should feel proud to have this charity on its doorstep. We are already thinking up lots of fundraising ideas and hopefully we will reach our £40,000 target and fund a specialist research nurse for a year.” Cure Leukaemia chief executive
James McLaughlin said: “Having the backing of such a well- respected and influential business has not only raised the charity’s profile but also generated vital funds to help people battling blood cancer.”
On track: Cllr Kath Hartley gets on board with Swift PAYG on the Midland Metro
C
ommuters using the Midland Metro can now travel the smart way with Swift Pay As You Go. The West Midlands’ own smartcard can now be
used on the tram network as a cheaper way to buy day tickets and single fares. Swift is used in the same way as cash but is cheaper
as most bus operators offer discounts. This now includes Midland Metro, which is operated
by National Express West Midlands on behalf of Centro, the delivery arm for the West Midlands Integrated Transport Authority. Passengers simply hand their card to the tram
conductor and tell them what ticket they’d like to buy. PAYG users on Metro will save 10p on a single fare
and 20p on a day ticket. Cllr Kath Hartley, chair of Centro’s Putting
Passengers First committee, said: “Swift is by far the best way of paying to travel on public transport. The days of having to rummage about in pockets or purses for change to pay your fare are gone. With Swift you just present your card and away you go, it could not be simpler.” Swift PAYG was launched in October 2015 and can
be used on most buses in the region, including National Express West Midlands and National Express Coventry services plus 22 other operators. Passengers load cash
onto their Swift PAYG card and use it to buy single, return and day tickets on bus. A card can be shared with friends and family. PAYG
has a minimum top up of £10 and a maximum of £50. Swift PAYG can also be linked to a credit or debit card to activate an Auto Top-Up which means it will never run out of credit.
‘The days of having to rummage about in pockets or purses for change to pay your fare are gone’
Each time the PAYG balance falls below the Auto Top- Up trigger of £10 it will automatically top-up your credit with the amount you choose (£20, £30, or £40).As well as PAYG, a Swift card can also be used for weekly and monthly travel passes, available for bus and Midland Metro that can be stored on a Swift card. Cards can be topped up online through a
passenger’s Swift account, or by visiting one of 250 PayZone outlets across the West Midlands and a Network West Midlands Travel Centre. They can also be topped up online by using one of 100 Swift card collector machines at bus stops, or by using the Swift card android app available from the Google Play store.
Support for charity
A total of £14,260 was last year donated by the National Express Employee Charity Panel to over 50 different charities and community groups supported by employees from the company’s UK bus, coach and rail divisions. The Charity Panel itself is made up of employee representatives from
across National Express Group’s UK businesses who meet quarterly to review the applications for donations from other employees that volunteer to help community groups in their spare time, or actively take part in regular fundraising activities to raise money for their chosen charities. Some of the charities and groups which received donations last year
Express delivery: Dave Gerrard (centre left) and colleagues from National Express West Midlands present Russells Hall Hospital neonatal unit with a donation
16 CHAMBERLINK MARCH 2016
include Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice, Myton Hospice, NSPCC, Myeloma UK, Russells Hall Hospital Neonatal Unit, St Gemma’s Hospice, Dudley Group NHS Charity, Carnoustic Claymores, Little Heroes and Down Syndrome Extra 21.
Pay as you go will offer a swifter way to travel
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