Leeds based The Parklane Foundation, part of The Parklane Group, are celebrating raising £6,000 for their charity partner Young Lives vs Cancer from their most recent fundraising event based on the tv show The Apprentice.

Using the tv show as a guide each department was given a £100 start-up fund and a week to turn it into £1,000’s. The creative bunch then got to work organising their fundraising events which included a luxury raffle, a car wash, a static cycle the distance of the perimeter of Yorkshire, a dine in event, a fashion show, a swap shop, an auction and a car boot sale!

Katie Brewster, from The Parklane Foundation, said “The Apprentice Challenge was a no brainer for us as we have so many talented people working for The Parklane Group who think outside the box, add the fact that we were raising money for the fantastic charity Young Lives vs Cancer and their competitiveness and creativity came in to action!”

“At the end of the week we totted up the amounts raised and the winners were declared by our very own Lord Treacle (Director of The Parklane Group, Naveen Ahmed) who handed out the trophy and a spa day to the winning department and gave the famous ‘You’re Fired’ to the losing team. Obviously no one was actually fired but we did send them out litter picking! A great effort by all involved and a huge amount raised for a fantastic charity.”

Last year in Yorkshire, Young Lives vs Cancer teams based in Leeds and Sheffield helped 363 families to find the strength to face whatever cancer threw at them. They also gave out 272 financial grants to these families to the value of £55,710 to help them to cope with the costs of cancer. The Cancer Costs report from the charity found that families with a child on active treatment spend an extra £600 a month.

Jenny Pointon, Senior Fundraising Engagement Manager for Yorkshire and North Derbyshire at Young Lives vs Cancer, said: “When cancer strikes young lives we help families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. We rely entirely on donations to fund our vital work and we can’t thank The Parklane Foundation heroes enough for their fantastic efforts. We are looking forward to seeing what they will come up with next!”

“The money raised from their Apprentice fundraising challenge will make a massive difference for young people with cancer, by helping us ensure they are getting the right support they need.”

For more information about Young Lives vs Cancer’s work, go to www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk

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Photograph: Lord Treacle (Director of The Parklane Group, Naveen Ahmed) presenting the winning department with their trophy.

Notes to editors

For more information, an interview or images, please contact Jenny Dixon on 07920 584688 or email Jenny.Pointon@YoungLivesvsCancer.org.uk

About cancer in children and young people

Today, 12 more children and young people in the UK will hear the devastating news that they have cancer. Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years. Although survival rates are over 80%, cancer remains the single largest cause of death from disease in children and young people in the UK.

About Young Lives vs Cancer

When a child is diagnosed with cancer life becomes full of fear, for them and their family. Fear of treatment but also of families being torn apart, overwhelming money worries, of having nowhere to turn to, no one to talk to.

Young Lives vs Cancer is the charity that helps children and young people (0-25) and their families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. The charity’s social workers offer specialist, empowering support, its Homes from Home offer families a free place to stay nearby to the child’s hospital and grants help families to navigate the costs of cancer. We’ve been there before. We’ll face it all, together. For more information visit www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk