A record breaking fund raiser by the Joseph Holt brewery will help double the number of patients being scanned at one of the country`s leading cancer centres.
To celebrate its 175th anniversary, the Manchester-based family business decided to mark the milestone with its most ambitious charity appeal to date: raising £500,000 for The Christie hospital.
Yet thanks to the generosity of big hearted customers, dedicated pub and head office staff, and suppliers, not only did the company hit the target. It smashed right through it, raising a staggering £710,266 for the specialist cancer treatment centre.
The money will go towards a new Advanced Scanning and Imaging Centre being built at the Manchester-based hospital and which will house four CT scanners – one of which, a 4D CT scanner, will be the first of its kind in the UK.
The additional machines will mean up to 45,000 patients a year can be scanned, compared with the current level of 24,000.
Proceeds from Joseph Holt’s 175th anniversary Christie appeal fund will specifically pay for complex internal fabric needed for the room where the 4D CT scanner will be housed.
There will also be a new Joseph Holt reception area to enhance patient comfort whilst waiting for a scan.
The Joseph Holt brewery has more than a century of history with The Christie hospital and is its longest running charity partner.
This lengthy association dates back to 1914 when Sir Edward Holt, son of the brewery`s eponymous founder, Joseph Holt, raised £20,000 for the Holt Radium Institute (an equivalent sum of £2 million in today`s money). In 1933, it amalgamated with The Christie Hospital to form The Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute.
Weaver’s son Joseph Holt first opened a small brewery in Manchester in 1849. In 1860, he purchased the company’s site in Cheetham, close to the city centre, where the Joseph Holt brewery has been making its award winning beers ever since. The company has now been in the family for six generations and, 175 years on, runs 127 pubs across the North West.
CEO Richard Kershaw, who is the great great grandson of founder Joseph Holt, said he was incredibly proud of what had been achieved for the brewery`s milestone 175th charity appeal.
He said: “The Christie hospital and Holt Radium Institute has and always will hold a special place in our hearts and the hearts of our staff and customers. And so, we wanted to mark our 175th anniversary with a really ambitious fundraising target of £500,000 as we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate this event than by giving back to the community in this way. “
“What we couldn`t have anticipated was not only hitting our goal but vastly exceeding our target. This was only achieved because of the immense dedication and generosity of our staff and our customers who got behind our 175th appeal and worked to make it a reality – and more. Our pubs really are in the hearts of the community where they are located – and it was that sense of community which enabled them to raise so much money for the cause.”
Fundraising over the past year has involved a huge variety of events . From a football tournament at FC United and the first ever beer festival to be held at the Brewery, to activities organised by individual pubs – including marathons, sponsored walks, raffles and even sky dives.
Richard Kershaw launched the appeal himself with a sponsored 600 mile bike ride from Bilbao in Northern Spain to St Malo which was completed in 7 days, with his three sons Dave, Peter and Andrew as well as his son-in-law Adam Maxwell and family friend Bill Lonergan.
Anna McIntosh, Corporate development manager at The Christie Charity, added: “We are incredibly grateful to Holts’ for its unwavering support of The Christie Charity.
“The money raised through its fantastic two-year appeal will have a profound impact on cancer care, funding the development of our new Advanced Scanning and Imaging Centre.
“This facility will house the UK’s first 4D CT scanner and will enable up to 45,000 patients a year to be scanned – nearly doubling the current capacity. Thanks to Holts and its supporters, The Christie is taking a significant step forward in speeding up scanning times and improving patient outcomes.”
