Bank workers raise £126k in DIY event at Little Havens (From Echo)

Bank workers raise £126k in DIY event at Little Havens

11:00am Tuesday 15th March 2011 in News By George Thorpe

BANKERS ditched their smart suits for a weekend to help raise money for a hospice.

Workers from large banking companies, such as RBS, Deutsche Bank and Northern Trust, came together for a weekend of fundraising for Havens Hospices, which incorporates Fair Havens, in Westcliff, and Little Havens, in Thundersley.

It was the seventh I’m a Banker, Get me Out of Here event and saw more than 150 bank workers taking part in a variety of tasks, including DIY, gardening and decorating around the hospices.

The bankers were split into different teams and given tasks to complete. This year the groups helped out with increasing the size of the family car park at Little Havens, building a log store and interior painting at Fair Havens.

Some of the bankers involved in the project have relatives being looked after by one of the hospices, including Roberto De Cristofano, from Rayleigh, whose ten-year-old daughter Lili is the inspiration behind the event.

Lili suffers from a rare genetic disease, which affects her development, and is cared for at Little Havens.

Over the past two years, the state of Lili’s condition means she requires care from home, which is provided by a Havens carer, whose work has been a godsend to the De Cristofano family.

Sarah De Cristofano, 39, Lili’s mother, said: “Everyone’s mood lightens when we know one of the carers is coming. They are like an extended part of the family, we know them so well.

“They’ve also taken Lili out for the day to Lakeside, which she really enjoyed, as she loves watching people and going to cafes.”

By the end of the weekend the bankers had raised £126,000 through donations for Havens.

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