Assistive-tech company Barry Bennett raises £2,000 for our Warm-hearts Winter Challenge as the campaign wraps up

Staff at Bolton-based Barry Bennett Ltd. (and its sister company, Bennett Workplace Solutions Ltd.) has stepped up to the challenge to raise funds for our Warm-hearts Winter Challenge.    35 staff members put their best feet forward to walk a combined 8,211,128 steps, collecting sponsorship along the way. The company topped up the £1,642 total to a whopping £2,000! The generous donation has brought our Warm-hearts campaign to an end, having now raised over £6,500.   A huge thank you goes out to our fundraising champions, who undertook various activities to raise funds, which will enable learning disabled artists to thrive as artists and valued members of society. Challenges included a virtual bake-off, a disco-dare, walks around local canals, running and press-ups and sit-ups. Also, inspired by Captain Tom, one artist, Fred Collins, has been using his walking frame to do laps around his home.   All funds raised by Team Barry Bennett will go towards the additional costs that we face as our art studio gradually re-opens. Not everyone will be able to return to Venture Arts at once – so, more staff hours, equipment and cleaning services will be needed to deliver a dual in-studio and online service for all the learning disabled artists who think of Venture Arts as family, and their cherished studio as a home-from-home.   Antony Bennett, Managing Director of Barry Bennett and its sister company said:

“I am very keen to support the local community as my family and business roots are firmly in the Greater Manchester area. Through a newly formed relationship with Manchester City Council, we have been made aware of Venture Arts and feel that the charity aligns so well with our company’s aims and values. We are delighted to make the donation of £2,000 and feel that our steps challenge has been a step in the right direction for supporting local charities during such testing times.”

  Amanda Sutton, Director of Venture Arts said:

“We are thrilled to be the recipients of such a generous donation and we’re so grateful to the teams at Barry Bennett and Bennett Workplace Solutions for their incredible fundraising efforts. At such a challenging time, this support will help us to ensure that we can continue to offer vital creative services to our talented learning disabled artists.”

  Barry Bennett Ltd. is the UK’s leading Assistive Technology Service Provider (ATSP) to students in receipt of the Disabled Students’ allowance. For more details about the support they can offer visit their website here.  

If your business would like to get involved in workplace fundraising for Venture Arts then please get in touch at info@venturearts.org or call 0161 232 1223.