University staff raise over £3,000 for ARCHIE
University of the Highlands and Islands employees have handed over £3020.78 to The ARCHIE Foundation following a major fundraising drive. ARCHIE was nominated as the organisation’s charity of the year in 2012 following a staff vote.
Fundraising activities throughout the year included coffee mornings, book and greeting card sales and a Christmas raffle.
Individual members of staff undertook challenges to add to the cause too. In March, Jamie Lawrence from Conon Bridge and Susan Szymborski from Dingwall joined Fiona Forbes and Robert France from Inverness to take part in the Row a Million Miles for ARCHIE challenge in the Eastgate Shopping Centre, Inverness. Between them, the team rowed 19,000 miles, contributing to the £1721.22 the event raised overall.
Isla Cruden from Kiltarlity, an equality officer at the University, raised £100 by completing a sponsored swim of 100kms over 10 months.
Lyndsay MacColl and Helen Anton from Inverness, Heather Fotheringham from Ardersier and Dr Iain Morrison from Portmahomack, all members of the student services team, completed the Baxters River Ness Inverness 10K in September, raising £481.
Speaking about the run as well the staff’s fundraising efforts as a whole, Lyndsay MacColl, a student support assistant and member of the University executive office social committee, said: “It was a pleasure to raise money for such a worthwhile charity and I can vouch for the whole team that we had a great time on the day and were amazed at the support we were given. We would like to thank our generous colleagues, friends and family for all their donations.”
The University’s donation will be used to support the work of The ARCHIE Foundation, a charity which is raising money to create a specialised children’s hospital facility in Inverness.
Welcoming the contribution, ARCHIE fundraising manager Allana Mackay said: “We are absolutely overwhelmed with the support received from the University of the Highlands and Islands staff, they have raised a tremendous amount of money for The ARCHIE Appeal which will make a huge difference to local sick children here within the Highlands. Not only have they raised such a fantastic amount, but they have hugely supported our efforts over the last 12 months and helped us raise our profile significantly.”
University employees now hope to raise even more money for their charity of 2013, the Highland Hospice.
Media contact
Susan Szymborski
Communications officer
01463 279222
susan.szymborski@uhi.ac.uk