Solihull
All the latest news, advice and events for the Solihull business community
Contact: Samantha Frampton T: 0121 678 7488
Phoebus Software take on virtual climb
Staff at a Solihull software company have carried out a ‘virtual’ ascent of Everest, the world’s highest mountain, to raise money for charity. The employees of Phoebus Software, in New
Road, have so far raised more than £2,155 for Acorns Children’s Hospice, through their activities. Obviously they haven’t been able to ascend the 29,029 ft mountain in person, due to the Covid pandemic, but they have done it by climbing stairs and cycling up hills, to cover the same distance. One of them, David Breeze, did climb a real
mountain to help achieve his goal – Snowdon, the tallest mountain in Wales at 3,560 ft. In fact, he did it twice, and reached his target after also climbing the less-mountainous Lickey Hills every day for five weeks. It is the second time that Phoebus staff have
‘climbed’ Everest during lockdown. The first challenge took David Marsden-Green
34 days to complete, and he said: “The first climb, although physically challenging, was enjoyable as it was mostly done in summer conditions. The second was a different story. With the
weather turning towards the end of September, it got much colder, wetter, darker earlier.”
During the first lockdown, 30 Phoebus staff
raised money for Acorns by covering the 874 miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End. This was achieved through a mix of walking,
running, and cycling. Phoebus Software Limited’s sales and
marketing director Richard Pike said: “We continuously encourage our team members to take part in charitable giving both inside and outside of the workplace. We do all that we can to support them and what David and the team have done during lockdown has both lifted morale at PSL and raised over £2,000 for such a deserving charity.” The money raised will go towards
supporting children with tailored care plans, including emergency and end of
life care, short breaks, as well as emotional and practical support. In addition to its local and national
fundraising, Phoebus also supports charities across the world. This year will be the 10th year it has supported not-for-profit organisation Kiva. Kiva helps alleviate poverty by providing small loans to improve the working or living environment of people in the developing world.
Richard Pike: encouragement
College announces distant learning courses
Solihull College & University Centre has announced new options for its online and distance learning courses. As part of its commitment to providing
diverse methods of training delivery for learners, all of the college’s distance learning programmes now have an exclusively online option. The courses previously required learners to complete a physical workbook throughout their study programme and attend face-to-face meetings. However, learners can now undertake the
full programme digitally, without the need to complete traditional paper-based assignments or attend assessments in person. Oliver Matthews, employer services
manager at the college, said: “During these unprecedented circumstances, we have made great efforts to continue supporting the regional and national demand for distance learning opportunities.”
50 CHAMBERLINK December 2020/January 2021
UHB Charity re-launches NHS Superheroes campaign
University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) Charity, the official charity of the Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull hospitals has re-launched its ‘NHS Superheroes’, as its hospitals deal with the second wave of Covid patients. UHB NHS Foundation Trust has seen more
deaths from Covid than any other Trust in the UK, and UHB Charity has issued an urgent plea for donations to help support its 22,000 members of staff through the second wave. Charlotte Schofield, director of fundraising for
UHB Charity, said: “Our Trust has been the worst- hit in the UK and right now our staff are more scared than they have ever been. We need your support to ensure that we can care for our staff in the way that they are caring for our patients, their families, and our local communities. “Day in, day out, our staff are fighting this
pandemic, and we want to give them all of the support that they need over the coming months.”
At the outbreak of the pandemic, UHB Charity
set up its Covid fund, named the NHS Superheroes appeal, which went on to raise £1 million. This has been used to fund a range of staff and
patient welfare projects across the Trust. Ms Schofield said: “The support we received at
the beginning of the pandemic was incredible, and it helped us to set up staff wellbeing projects to support their mental and physical health. “Now, as we face the second wave of the
pandemic, we are going to be relying on the generous donations that we receive to make a difference to our staff and patients. “However people choose to support us,
whether it be purchasing from our online shop, buying a gift for a poorly child through our Virtual Christmas shop, or making a donation, the generosity of people and organisations across the West Midlands will allow us to make a difference when it is most needed.”
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