A Christmas prom extravaganza held in December raised more than £13,000 for the Birmingham Community Foundation, the charity that helps to fund around 800 community and volunteer groups each year within Birmingham and The Black Country.
The sell out concert was held at the Town Hall in Birmingham where the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra performed a mix of traditional carols combined with rousing Prom tunes.
Principal sponsor of the concert, Aston based Hyder Consulting, has worked with the Birmingham Community Foundation to enable the funds to benefit from a Government Grassroots Endowment Challenge which doubles all contributions made under this incentive.
The event initially raised around £6,500 with money still coming in, but applying the challenge enabled a final figure that will come in at more than £13000. Cash raised from the event brings the total raised by Hyder’s concerts to more than £75,000.
Ian Webb, area director for Hyder Consulting, a multi-national advisory and design consultancy, said: “We are delighted with the staggering support levels that we received for the Christmas Prom. The Birmingham Community Foundation is a fantastic charity that brings genuine benefit to local communities within Birmingham and The Black Country. Helping local people to provide local solutions is something we are keen to support both now and for the future.
“By taking advantage of the Government’s Grassroots Endowment Challenge incentive currently in place with the Birmingham Community Foundation, we were able to double the money we raised and create a Hyder endowment fund. We plan to build on our endowment fund to help support local people and community projects for years.”
Part of the wider UK Community Foundation network the Birmingham Community Foundation has significant in-depth knowledge of local communities and grant making. It links people who care about their local community with the wide range of voluntary organisations, community groups and local charities who do the hands-on work to make a real difference where we live.
David Hersey, chief executive of the Birmingham Community Foundation added: “Despite the harsh economic climate, we are finding that corporate social responsibility remains high on the agenda of many individuals and organisations who want to give something back to their local communities and of course this is what the Foundation is all about.
“We have local knowledge, understanding and links in to the local communities so we can award funds knowing that they will make a very real difference. There has never been a better time to support the foundation as any donation or fund started by the end of March will be doubled.”
Other sponsors of the Christmas Prom included Barclays Wealth, Dickens Foundation, Emprima, Jobson James, Marc Kirsten Photography, John Matthews Associates, Metro Bar & Grill and the Town Hall.
