Staff swap suits for cash

In October 2011 Ardel staff paid out £8,800 to 16 local charities, by simply swapping office wear for comfy casuals every Friday.

Ardel has a Mufti fund into which staff members make a discretional monthly donation via their salary. This enables the staff to dress down on a Friday and helps raise much needed funds for local charities across the island.

Staff vote for the charities they would like to see benefit from this initiative, and on this occasion 16 came out on top

Gerry Williams presented each of the charities with cheques at a special lunch attended by representatives of the staff. This proved an excellent opportunity for them to find out more about the work each charity undertakes and just how important their donations are.

Chairman of the Trustees of the Guernsey Society for Cancer Relief, Keith Bichard said,

“We spend over £100,000 a year helping relatives and carers with air trips to the UK; providing carers to enable sufferers to stay in their own homes; and a myriad of other smaller items. We are so very grateful for Ardel’s donation which will help us in this work.”

Susan Wilson, founder of the Tumaini Fund said;

“The amount is enough to send 8 orphans to secondary school in 2012 - this will change their lives - only 7% of children in Kagera get the opportunity to go to secondary school and without a secondary school-leaving certificate, it is impossible for them to get a job in Tanzania.”