Employees at Aldermore, the specialist bank, have chosen the stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands as their Charity of the Year for 2017. The Bank’s employees aim to raise money for, and awareness of, the UK charity which offers support to anyone affected by the death of a baby.

Sands was founded almost forty years ago by a group of bereaved parents to raise awareness of the impact of infant death and provide support for those affected. The charity operates throughout the UK, working in partnership with healthcare professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible support. It also promotes improvements in practice and funds research to help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

To select their Charity of the Year, Aldermore’s employees were asked to nominate causes and the winning charity was chosen through a Bank-wide vote. Sands was put forward by an employee from Aldermore’s Wilmslow office whose friends were helped by the charity following the sad death of their daughter.

Throughout 2017, the Aldermore Community Team (ACT) will hold a series of fundraising events for Sands. The Bank will match the amount raised at each event, up to a maximum of £250, via its “pound for pound” scheme.

Last year, Aldermore employees raised £26,739 for the Batten Disease Family Association (BDFA), the Bank’s 2016 Charity of the Year.

Susy Gould-Obiora, Senior Trust and Corporate Fundraiser at Sands, said: “We are delighted that Aldermore has chosen Sands as its Charity of the Year. Without the vital support and incredible generosity of our supporters, fundraisers and volunteers, Sands would not be able to continue to support bereaved parents and their families.  Our corporate partners play an important role in raising funds and awareness to enable us to deliver the wide range of services that we offer and we are very much looking forward to partnering with Aldermore over the coming year.”

Dana Cuffe, ‎Chief Operating Officer at Aldermore, said: “We’ve been greatly impressed by the work that Sands does to support families impacted by stillbirth or neonatal death so we’re very pleased to name them Aldermore’s Charity of the Year for 2017. The cause is especially important to a member of our Wilmslow team who witnessed the vital support that the charity provides to families affected by the death of a baby. Our employees are really excited about supporting Sands’s activities through our fundraising initiatives this year.”