A Knaresborough businessman has urged the district’s corporate community to get behind a local charity’s business partnership scheme and help make a difference to the area in which they operate.
Ian Fozard, chairman of Rooster’s Brewery Ltd, was speaking at the fifth anniversary dinner of Saint Michael’s Guild of Patrons, held at Rudding Park in April.
Ian said:
Saint Michael’s is such a well run organisation that genuinely makes a difference to the lives of so many local people – I would urge other local businesses to offer their support.
The Harrogate district has weathered the recession very well and there are a lot of local businesses who are able to support Saint Michael’s if they put their minds to it.
The brewery is the latest company to back the Guild of Patrons, a community of local business supporters committed to securing the future of Harrogate’s hospice.
Ian said:
My previous business, Market Town Taverns, became a Patron in 2009.
I bought Rooster’s Brewery, which is run by my sons Tom and Oliver, in 2011 and, once we’d got a full year’s trading under our belt and I knew that the business was profitable, it only seemed right to sign Rooster’s up as a Patron.
Rooster’s membership brings the total number of local businesses to back the scheme since its inception in 2008 to 37.
As members, Patrons make a financial commitment to Saint Michael’s of £5,000 per year for three years to support local people living with terminal illness and bereavement.
Tony Collins, chief executive of Saint Michael’s, said:
We are delighted to welcome our new Patron on board – I can think of no better way to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Guild.
Rooster’s support, alongside that of its fellow Patrons, provides a key, sustainable income stream that is enabling us to plan confidently for the future.
The Guild’s success shows the power that businesses working together can have on improving life for residents in the communities in which they operate.
The Hornbeam Park-based charity needs £3.8million a year to continue to provide its services, and more than 80 per cent of this annual income must be generated through voluntary contributions and fundraising initiatives like the Guild of Patrons.
By becoming members, businesses have an exclusive opportunity to demonstrate corporate social responsibility while also enhancing marketing, communications and company profile and building staff motivation.
