Your Champions nomination: Claire House Appeals Team

Jul 21 2010 by Matt Hurst, Wirral News Series

CLAIRE House is one of the best-known charities in Wirral, but if it wasn’t for its appeals team the future of the facility could look very different.

Kirsty Wright first started volunteering with the Bebington children’s hospice in February 2008, and is now senior area fundraiser.

She thinks the team deserve a “little bit of recognition” for the role they play in the Claire House success story.

Kirsty said: “It’s just the most hard-working team I’ve ever worked with, given that we are essentially selling something that nobody ever gets to actually touch.

“There’s just so many people there who are really inspirational and I think there should be a little bit of recognition for that.”

The team has been nominated in the Wirral News’ Your Champions search for Wirral’s local heroes. Our own category winners will go on to a stunning presentation evening in Chester in November.

The appeals’ team is made up of 16 to 18 full and part- time staff, with around 75 volunteers providing vital support.

They go out into the community to increase awareness and encourage financial contributions, alongside developing fund-raising ideas.

In 2010, the team organised a world record breaking twist event, with 2,000 participants at Tranmere Rovers, and the Halloween Walk through Birkenhead Park continues to prove popular.

Kirsty feels the team should not just be recognised for the results they produce, but also for the calibre they share.

The 32-year-old said: “The diversity of the people who work there is like nowhere I’ve worked before. “There’s such a range of people with different skill sets and different backgrounds. People come from all sorts of jobs, from managerial roles to people who come in as apprentices and work their way up.

“Everybody is equal and the team puts 100% in, plus the rest. That’s something that should make them stand out.”

Kirsty, who lives in Neston, says the team would be “extremely pleased” to win the group award, and underlined the, often unseen, work they do in the community.

She said: “I think we make an enormous difference in the community. “We make people aware of what Claire House is and what it can offer. We also give people a chance to be involved and volunteers a chance to build their skills set. It’s offering a hand back to the community and saying, what can we do for you?”

There are five categories within Your Champions: Person, Young Person, Team, Sport and School. To nominate, follow the links on www.wirralnews.co.uk