HBOS £1million

CLIC Sargent and the HBOS Foundation announced at the end of May that the bank’s fundraising initiative; the Million £ Challenge 2008; has already raised over £1million for the Charity after less than five months of fundraising. CLIC Sargent was voted by HBOS colleagues at the beginning of the year as the Bank's chosen charity for 2008. Since then, HBOS colleagues have been taking part in a huge range of fundraising activities – including sponsored runs, coffee mornings and dress-down days – to raise funds for children and young people with cancer in the UK.

The money raised will fund care grants for families with children and young people diagnosed with cancer. Typically, a family will spend more than £1,500 on caring and supporting their sick child through diagnosis and treatment, and the care grants provide families with immediate financial help when they need it most.

Joseph Smith, aged seven from West Camel near Yeovil, is being treated for a brain tumour at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. “He was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year,” said his mother Denise Smith, “and was rushed to Bristol where he is receiving intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. For the last couple of months we’ve been living two lives – going from the hospital in Bristol to our home near Yeovil and back again. CLIC Sargent have been really supportive ever since he was diagnosed. They’ve provided us with financial grants which have helped with our travel costs to the hospital and to buy Joe a new bed and mattress. He was being sick so often we had to replace his mattress. A massive thank you to all the staff at HBOS for helping CLIC Sargent to continue supporting families like us with these invaluable care grants.”

The Million £ Challenge is being celebrated across the country with a series of regional events being held in Bristol, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Canterbury, Halifax and Leeds. The Million £ Challenge began in 2002 and is run by the HBOS Foundation, a registered charity which organises fundraising across the HBOS group. Since the creation of the Million £ Challenge - with matched funding from the HBOS Foundation - customers, colleagues and shareholders have raised more than £11 million for a wide range of deserving charities.

“We are thrilled that HBOS have already reached £1 million as part of their ‘Million £ Challenge’ for 2008,” said Carole Easton, CLIC Sargent’s Chief Executive. “The £1m raised will provide financial assistance to families across the UK. On top of the trauma of having a very sick child, these families suddenly find themselves under additional financial pressure. This money will go towards helping with child care costs, educational needs and very high travel costs. I can’t thank the HBOS colleagues enough for all their efforts to raise these badly needed funds!”

“It’s fantastic news that HBOS has already achieved the £1m target for CLIC Sargent,” said Angela Tinker, Head of the HBOS Foundation. “This has broken all our records, and we are confident through the continued hard work and support of our colleagues that we can raise a great deal more.”

With the initial £1m already reached, HBOS colleagues will continue to fundraise for CLIC Sargent and the two other charities nominated to benefit from this year’s charity challenges - Age Concern and Diabetes UK. All additional funds raised throughout the year will be split equally between the three charities.

Notes to Editor:

• For any media enquiries please contact Andy Maciver, HBOS plc Senior Media Relations Officer on 0131 243 7016 / 07917 067 485 or Kat Forse, CLIC Sargent Senior Press Officer on 0117 314 8620 / 07917 805 488.
  
• About the HBOS Foundation (www.hbosfoundation.org): The HBOS Foundation was established in May 2002, following the merger of Halifax and Bank of Scotland to create HBOS plc. The Foundation works with charitable and ‘not-for-profit’ organisations across the UK, particularly those organisations that support people and their local communities. The Foundation's community giving is focused on two guiding themes; money advice and financial literacy and developing and improving communities. In addition, the HBOS Foundation is committed to working with colleagues throughout the HBOS group who want to put something back into their local communities, either through fundraising or volunteering. In 2007, over 10,000 colleagues volunteered their time and skills for charities and good causes. The HBOS Foundation is a registered charity No.SCO32942.