Charity Fundraising

2016 Charity Fundraising

Sands - £1405

Amara’s staff seconds sale raised an impressive £1405 during the first part of the year, which was donated to Sands. The stillbirth and neonatal death charity support anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby before, during or shortly after birth. A heart-breaking situation and a charity very close to our hearts, the money will help the charity to support parents, grandparents, siblings, families and friends during this time.

  Read More

2016 Charity Fundraising

CALM - £1378.91

For the middle part of 2016, all funds raised at the staff seconds sale went towards CALM. With a focus on preventing male suicide in the UK, the charity aims to change a culture that can often prevent men from seeking help when they most need it. As the leading cause of death in men under 45, the charity need all the support they can get in the way of fundraising and Amara are pleased to raise £1378.91.

  Read More

2016 Charity Fundraising

Alzheimer’s Research - £796.75

As the most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s Research are aiming to develop a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease to delay the onset of dementia by five years, making a real difference to people’s lives. The final part of the year saw the Amara team raise nearly £800 through the staff seconds sale which was donated to this pioneering research.

2016 Charity Fundraising

Macmillan, British Heart Foundation, Children in Need

Throughout 2016 the Amara team have also taken part in several fundraising events in the office. For the first fundraising event of the year, Amara took part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning to raise £147.50. Each department baked a different sweet treat to raise money to aid the fantastic support that Macmillan offer, with the aim to ensure that no one has to face cancer alone. Committed to fighting cardiovascular disease, Amara raised £173.74 for British Heart Foundation, by making pancakes, wearing red and bringing in a selection red themed food. For the final 2016 event, Amara joined in with Children in Need, the BBC’s official UK charity aiming to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people, filling kitchens with yellow, spotted bakes and raising £147.50 in the process!

  Read More about Macmillan

  Read More about British Heart Foundation

  Read More about Children in Need

2015 Charity Fundraising

Macmillan Cancer Support

This year Macmillan Cancer Support was universally chosen as the recipient of the money raised for our staff seconds sale. A cause close to all of our hearts, a friend to the Amara Team was recently diagnosed with cancer and they are relying on the vital help of the charity whilst undergoing treatment. Macmillan know how a cancer diagnosis can affect everything in a sufferer’s life, so their aim is to help them take back some control. Whether the person needs advice about work, help with financial worries or just someone to talk to, they are there.

Thrilled to help in any way we possibly can, the sale made nearly £1,700 including gift aid and we hope this contribution will assist in the care and support of those that need it at the very troubling time after a cancer diagnosis.

2015 Charity Fundraising

The J’s Hospice

A local charity to the Amara offices and first discovered by CEO Andrew Hood at his annual V Festival trip where he paid to use the charity’s sparkling amenities rather than risk the less than desirable normal toilets, so impressed was he with the charity’s story that we have been supporting and raising money for them ever since! Andrew himself took part in his own challenge for this amazing cause which saw him cycle an impressive 2014 miles for 2014, after which he donated £2014 to the charity.

From marshalling at the first Chelmsford Marathon for which The J’s was the main charity partner, to a Christmas collection outside a local superstore, the events that we have been involved in have been varied to say the least. The entire team took part in the charity's main fundraising event, Pedal for the J’s, in Spring 2015. The 15, 35 or 50 mile bike ride was a fantastic sporting activity to sink our teeth into, and everyone either cycled on the day or marshalled. Each team member crossed the finish line and we raised over £7,000 for The J's Hospice. 

Providing essential tailored nursing, respite and end of life care for young adults suffering from a variety of lift limiting conditions from cancer to complex neurological conditions, The J’s aim is to help young adults to live their life to the full, however short. Not only focused on the young adult, they also offer emotional care, bereavement support and a range of activities for the whole family for them to enjoy what little time they have left together. A worthy cause and one that the whole Amara Team feels passionately about, we were extremely excited to be able to support The J’s Hospice in 2014 & 2015.

  Chelmsford Marathon

  J's Hospice Christmas Volunteering

<  Andrew's Cycling Challenge

  Pedal for the J's

2014 Charity Fundraising

Epilepsy Research UK

Each year Amara holds a staff seconds sale, this eagerly anticipated event gives the team a chance to get their hands on some of our luxurious items that would otherwise be a tad out of price range. The key factor of this sale is that all proceeds go straight to a charity of the team’s choice which in 2014 was Epilepsy Research UK, a cause extremely close to one of the team’s hearts due to them losing a family member to the condition the year before. Dedicated to exploring the still relatively unknown disorder, the charity funds essential scientific research into the causes, treatments and prevention of Epilepsy and strives to eventually develop a cure for this life threatening condition which affects nearly 1 in 100 people in the world.

The sale was a fantastic success and raised a staggering £1,486, significantly higher than the year before largely due to the fact that the team has greatly grown in size between now and then! We were astounded to hear this total and are proud that our donation will go towards such essential scientific research.

2014 Charity Fundraising

Grief Encounter

When a child’s parent or close loved one dies, their lives are never the same again. Grief Encounter’s mission is to work closely with children and their families to address the confusion, fear and anxiety left by this loss, to help them make sense of hurt, and above all they aim to help them find a way out of the abyss of grief.

In Early 2014 Amara supported this fabulous charity in various events and provided goodie bags for both their annual Fundraising Ball & Comedy Night.

  Read more

2013 Charity Fundraising

Cystic Fibrosis Trust

From the start of October, all the way to the Christmas Jumper Day, the Amara Team fundraised for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust through the Great Amara Charity Bake Off.

This huge Bake Off involved every staff member going head to head to get to three finalists who battled it out on the legendary Christmas Jumper day with a selection of impressive bakes. From mouth-watering sweets to succulent savouries we saw nearly every bake possible and by charging a small amount to sample each tasty treat we managed to raise an impressive £1,149 - all through our love of eating!

  Read more

2013 Charity Fundraising

Cancer Research UK

In September Amara's General Manager Harriet took part in Pretty Muddy, Cancer Research UK's inaugural obstacle course event to raise money for the world's leading cancer charity. Dedicated to saving lives through research and providing essential care & support for people living with cancer and their families, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day that all cancer can be cured.

Harriet raised an outstanding £300 taking part in Pretty Muddy and as an avid participant in Race for Life she has so far raised over £700 for the charity.

  Read more

2013 Charity Fundraising

Movember - a global movement

On Thursday 21^st November, the entire Amara office donned rather dashing stick on moustaches all in the name of Movember!

There were truckers, bikers, Casanovas and even a few villains there to raise money for the leading men’s health charity that work tirelessly to spread awareness & fight against cancer and mental health issues.

A fanTachtic reason to look silly for the day, wouldn’t you agree?

  Read more

2012 Charity Fundraising

British Liver Trust

The British Liver Trust was our charity for 2012, the leading liver charity in the UK for all adult liver conditions they work to pioneer liver health and reduce the impact of liver disease through awareness, care and research. Team member Jane Pople chose the 2012 charity and decided to run the 2013 Brighton Marathon in aid of them, getting everyone at Amara involved with fundraising. Everyone partook in the Christmas Jumper Day which is now set to be an annual event. There was also a hugely successful staff sample sale where all proceeds were donated to the charity. Over £2,000 was raised in total and a lot of fun was had along the way.

  Read more

2011 Charity Fundraising

Orchid: Fighting Male Cancer

The Amara boys were in charge of the 2011 charity, and chose Orchid, a cause dedicated to fighting male cancer. Andrew Hood, Adam Boston, Tom Freeman,

Andrew Curran and Alex Holliman all took part in a 40 mile bike ride around Essex and successfully completed the race, despite hiccups including Adam’s peddle falling off at one mile.

  Read more

Our Charitable Ethos

At Amara we believe in doing our bit for charity and enjoy giving back to the community wherever we can. Each year we focus on carefully selected charities and support them with a host of different activities and events. If you wish to speak to us regarding a charity that you support then please contact customer.services@amara.com