04 July 2007

Generous PRUPIM employees at the Manchester Arndale and Cambridge Grafton shopping centres have raised enough money to buy two much-needed powered wheelchairs thanks to their fundraising efforts for the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.

In two presentations last month, the recipients – Sandra Turner from Cambridge and two-year-old Patrick Kelly from Sale – visited their respective shopping centres in their brand new wheelchairs, where they had the opportunity to meet and thank the centre’s staff personally and to demonstrate how the new chairs are transforming their daily lives.

For Patrick Kelly, who has a severe muscle wasting condition called spinal muscular atrophy, the new chair has made a world of difference. His mum Helen said: “Patrick is finding it so much easier to play with his brothers and friends now. He has so much more independence when we go out and we hope that he will now be able to attend nursery in it. I want to thank all the staff at Manchester Arndale who worked so hard to raise the funds.”

Sandra Turner’s condition, called Pompe disease, means she has difficulty in conducting everyday tasks including standing and walking, being unable to lay flat or sleep without a breathing machine, and a shortness of breath interfering with her eating, drinking and talking. She said: “This wheelchair has made such a difference to my life, though I’m still getting used the controls! But now, for the first time in ages, I’ve been able to get out for a bit of retail therapy. I want to say a huge thank you to the wonderful staff of The Grafton.”

Staff at the two shopping centres teamed up with the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign after it was selected as Charity of the Year by PRUPIM, the company which manages Manchester Arndale and The Grafton on behalf of Prudential. Dedicated employees at the centres raised the funds through a variety of initiatives such as a Dressing Up Day, a chocolate fountain, and staff holding bucket collections asking customers to donate. Additional funds were raised by staff at PRUPIM’s head office in Holborn, who organised bingo events, sweepstakes and a quiz night.

These were just two of the 16 wheelchair presentations that took place across the UK thanks to Prudential, with the final presentation taking place in Stirling this month. Siobhan Hewitt-Devine, Sustainability Adviser at PRUPIM said: “We are delighted to have supported the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign as our Charity of the Year for 2006. Everyone across our offices and shopping centres has been really enthusiastic about the cause, and we are thrilled that we have been able to raise enough to cover the costs of the new wheelchairs.”

Alec Raven, Head of Corporate Partnership Fundraising at the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, said: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with PRUPIM and Prudential. Their dedication and enthusiasm has ensured that the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has been able to increase independence and maximise mobility for people with people across the UK, specifically funding 16 wheelchairs and 20 grants toward other pieces of life changing equipment.”