We like a bit of fundraising, here at Yorkshire Tea.

Each year our staff choose some charities to raise money for, and then the total donation is matched by the business. And at the end of last year, we gave our biggest donation yet – just over £100,367!

That’s the picture of the handover day above, with our staff and representatives of the charities. And if it looks like a lot of staff, that’s because the project was a huge group effort, involving fundraising events organised by us and our sister companies, Taylors Coffee and Bettys – like a cricket day, a clothing swap shop, raffles and an auction of promises.

Our community projects officer, Sarah, said: “Charity fundraising is part of the life blood of the company and staff from across the entire business are engaged in this work.

“Fundraising has a long history with us. Our first company charity of the year was to support a nurse called Mary Perkins working in war-torn Sudan and we raised £2,500. Since then, we’ve donated well over £1 million for charities, most of them here in Yorkshire.”

Eight charities shared the donation, including Yorkshire Tea’s chosen two: Headlines, which supports those affected by Craniosynostosis, a condition which can require surgery at a young age; and Yorkshire Air Ambulance, which sends a rapid response helicopter to the scene of accidents, provides paramedic care and quickly gets patients to hospital.