At the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary we are lucky enough to receive continued support in many forms from diverse sections of the community.
The whole spectrum of such assistance ranges from one-off donations from members of the public, through participation in our Adopt-an-Owl and Wild Owl Nestbox schemes, to whole school fundraising activities and legacies in memoriam.
Each and every penny donated to the sanctuary, by whatever means, is very much appreciated and is absolutely essential in order to secure future facilities for the rescue, treatment and rehabilitation of injured wild birds of prey, to develop outreach opportunities in local schools and colleges, to maintain and expand our nestbox scheme and to further engage with a wider audience in the context of wildlife conservation.
The season of goodwill got off to a flying start this week with an extremely generous donation from the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society in Diss, Norfolk.
Pip, Titch, Liz & Maz thank the Norwich and Peterborough staff from the Diss branch for their wonderful donation.
As part of the Yorkshire Building Society group, the Norwich and Peterborough are understandably proud of their hugely successful fundraising and volunteering campaigns on behalf of deserving charities throughout the country.
Indeed, the 2016 Third Sector Business Charity Awards saw the YBS group named Business of the Year as well as winning the Employee Engagement Initiative of the Year title for its colleague volunteering programme.
This award scheme recognises the outstanding contribution many U.K. businesses make to good causes and the YBS group was selected by judges as the best example of a business that has “excelled in helping the wider community by embedding a culture of supporting charitable causes at all levels.” Their impressive record of charity work includes the donation of 11,800 hours of volunteer time during 2015, with the involvement of 35% of employees.
The group’s Charitable Foundation, of which the owl sanctuary has become a beneficiary, is an independent registered charity, predominantly funded by members who donate annual pence of interest from their savings or mortgage accounts. The average donation is less than 50p. per year, but together their small change adds up to "sums which can make a real difference to the lives of others in our communities.
”Since its first donation in 1999, the Charitable Foundation has donated over £6million to charities and good causes and the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary was fortunate enough to be nominated for assistance by a staff member of the Diss branch.
General Manager Maz Robinson and falconer Liz Boyd were invited into the building society today accompanied by Pip the Barn Owl and Titch the Tawny Owl to receive a cheque for 100.00 to assist with the ever increasing running costs of the sanctuary's raptor hospital.
We would like to thank the inspirational Norwich and Peterborough staff and their very generous customers for this extremely helpful donation and hope that many of them will take the opportunity to visit the sanctuary soon to witness firsthand the difference their contribution has made.