Hotel turns £50 into over £1,900 in charity challenge for hospice

Oct. 8, 2012 - PRLog -- Staff at the four star hotel threw themselves into the St Nicholas Hospice Towergate Accumulator Challenge.  Participants were each given a £50 note and tasked with finding imaginative ways to use it to make money for the charity.

Chief Executive Noel Byrne explained that the cash was spent on producing small cards for the reception area, encouraging hotel guests to add an extra £1 onto their bill for the hospice.  “Our guests were very generous and helped us raise over £1,300 over the three month period,” he said.

“We also held a virtual Newmarket to Paris bike ride where we set up two bikes on the front lawn of the hotel and challenged people to ride the equivalent distance of 251 miles over 12 hours.”

Hotel guests, members of the on-site leisure club, business associates and members of the public paid £5 to ride for half an hour or £10 for an hour. Nearly 50 people took part including 17 staff such as Marketing Co-ordinator Natalie Bell, Conference and Events Manager Amy Burns and Sales Manager Rachael Murton also took part in the challenge.

Noel added: “Spectators were invited to make donations, and we raised £600 on the day, which brought our total to £1,924.  

“St Nicholas Hospice gives its care free to all patients and their families, and needs to raise £10,000 every single day to remain in operation.  So we were delighted to raise so much money for this very worthy cause which does such sterling work in the area.”

Bedford Lodge Hotel is currently undergoing a £5 million expansion programme and to date includes the creation of 22 new bedrooms, with at least 25 further jobs to be introduced at the hotel as a result.  A spa is also being built in the grounds of the hotel, which is due to open next summer.  

For more information about the hotel, call 01638 663175 or visit  www.bedfordlodgehotel.co.uk