Beverley Building Society makes vital contribution to Yorkshire Cancer Research

A building society in East Yorkshire has raised over £13,000 this year to support life-giving cancer research and services for people in Yorkshire.

Throughout 2024, Beverley Building Society provided vital support to Yorkshire Cancer Research, its chosen 2024 Charity of the Year, through Society and public donations, regular match-funded contributions, employee and customer fundraising events, and volunteering.

Employees participated in a variety of unique fundraising activities, including the Society’s annual bike challenge. Team members took turns cycling an epic total of 369 miles on an exercise bike outside the Society’s branch, totalling three times the round trip between the branch and the Yorkshire Cancer Research centre in Harrogate.

Beverley Building Society also hosted a sports day, a quiz night, a Halloween-themed bake sale and a series of ‘Dress Down Fridays’, raising funds to support Yorkshire Cancer Research’s mission to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire.

Staff also volunteered to help set up the new Yorkshire Cancer Research shop in Hull, including sorting out donations and helping to merchandise stock on the shop floor.

Debbie Connolly, Marketing Manager at Beverley Building Society, said: “It’s important to us at Beverley Building Society that we put the ‘fun’ in fundraising events. Whether we’re playing games of rounders, eating loads of cupcakes or just wearing jeans on a Friday, it’s all about contributing to the community.”

Beverley Building Society chose to support Yorkshire Cancer Research after a former society member, Kristina Bowser, sadly passed away from ovarian cancer in 2021. Her parents, Lesley and Philip Bowser, and her brother Richard, from Cottingham, are advocates for cancer research and wanted to fundraise for people with cancer in Yorkshire in Kristina’s memory.

Many other members of Beverley Building Society have also been impacted by cancer, including Debbie Connolly, whose husband, Phil, has bowel cancer. Having had no symptoms, Phil’s cancer was diagnosed early at stage 1 thanks to a screening kit sent to his home as part of the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. He is now successfully undergoing treatment that is less invasive than it might have been.

Kevin Mowles, Chief Operating Officer at Beverley Building Society, participated in Yorkshire Cancer Research’s ‘We Walk for Yorkshire’ challenge alongside 50 Society members to walk in memory of their former colleague, David Otley.

Kevin said: “After the sadness of losing Dave, it was joyous to walk, laugh and remember all the good times with him. Taking part in the ‘We Walk for Yorkshire’ challenge really brought everybody together, and it was a great way to spend time away from the office.

“At Beverley Building Society, community is everything to us, so being able to give back and support people with cancer in the region was very important.”