Local hospice awarded £5,000 from The Cadbury Foundation

Local hospice charity, Thames Hospice, has received a £5,000 donation from The Cadbury Foundation, thanks to the support of local Mondelēz International employees in Reading.

Thames Hospice, which provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care services to people across East Berkshire and South Buckinghamshire, was selected by employees based at Mondelez International’s Reading site as part of The Cadbury Foundation’s annual ‘Your Charity, Your Choice’ programme.

Now in its fourteenth year, the initiative is designed to give Mondelēz International employees across the UK&I the chance to give back to the communities the company operates in, inviting colleagues to put forward nominations of charities or projects that are close to their heart.

The charities, voted for by colleagues, are then selected to receive a generous grant from The Cadbury Foundation, a charitable trust set-up in recognition of company founders, George and Richard Cadbury and their investment in the welfare of their employees and wider communities.

Last year saw The Cadbury Foundation celebrate its 90^th anniversary, with more than £1 million donated to support local communities since the Your Charity Your Choice programme began.

Peter Rooney, Head of Quality at Reading Scientific Services Ltd (a subsidiary of Mondelēz International), nominated Thames Hospice as one of 72 across the UK&I to receive a grant, receiving support from wider colleagues at the nearby Mondelēz International site in Reading.

Commenting on the donation, Peter said: “Thames Hospice does such fantastic work supporting people with life-limiting conditions and their families, and I know this generous grant will make a real difference.”

“I’m delighted that my nomination was supported by my colleagues, and that this donation will help the charity continue to be there for people at the most difficult times in their lives.”

Dr Rachael de Caux, Thames Hospice Chief Executive, said: “We are extremely grateful to The Cadbury Foundation for this significant donation, which will help us continue providing specialist palliative and end-of-life care in a safe and supportive environment.

“At Thames Hospice, we believe everyone deserves the highest quality of care throughout and at the end of life, and thanks to this grant, we can keep making that possible.”

As part of the foundation’s ‘Your Charity, Your Choice’ scheme, a total of £90,000 was donated to charities across the UK&I last year, continuing this ethos to support community programmes and charity partners with a focus on wellbeing, skills and passions of colleagues at Mondelēz International sites nationwide.

Kelly Farrell, Community Affairs Manager at Mondelēz International, added: “Our ‘Your Charity Your Choice’ scheme was set up to support important causes and charities close to our employees’ hearts, and we’re incredibly proud that for fourteen years, the programme has done exactly that.

“Since we launched Your Charity, Your Choice, The Cadbury Foundation has awarded more than £1 million to support the vital work of hundreds of charities and community programmes across the UK&I, which have been hand-selected by local employees.”

“We’re thrilled that £90,000 was donated last year, as The Cadbury Foundation celebrated its 90^thanniversary and we’re delighted that, with the foundation’s support, Thames Hospice can continue delivering its services supporting the community, helping provide high-quality clinical and therapeutic care to those that need it.”

For more information on The Cadbury Foundation, visit www.cadbury.co.uk/cadbury-foundationand for further details on Thames Hospice, head to Thames Hospice.