Calling all East Sussex businesses – put your hands up for Chestnut Tree

Chestnut Tree, the children’s hospice service for East Sussex, is calling out to local businesses and services and asking them to show their support by putting their Hands Up! To Help.

All part of the new Hands Up! campaign, which aims to raise awareness and vital funds for Chestnut Tree in the East Sussex area, handsuptohelp.org.uk is a new website which offers local goods and services at discounted rates to users. The difference however, is that the respective businesses/ individuals that have donated the goods or services pledge to donate their fees to Chestnut Tree.

An example of how the Hands Up! To Help website will work is as follows:

1. A professional celebration cake baker in East Sussex puts their Hands Up! To Helpt Chestnut Tree by offering to bake three special cakes. The cakes usually retail for £250 each but for Hands Up! To Help they will be sold for £150 (so individuals feel like they are getting a special price)
2. Chestnut Tree lists three celebration cakes on their Hands Up! To Help website’s selling page for £150 each
3. A couple who are getting married, and want to buy a wedding cake, decide that they would also like to support Chestnut Tree and put their Hands Up! to claim the offer.
4. The couple then pay the cake baker the £150 just like a normal transaction but then the baker (as a business) donates their payment directly to Chestnut Tree as a vital donation for its East Sussex hospice service.

Linda Perry, Head of Children’s Services at Chestnut Tree, commented:

It currently costs Chestnut Tree in excess of £3m per year to provide a range of children’s hospice care services and, with less than 8p in every pound funded by the government, we rely heavily on the generosity, help and support of the people of East Sussex.

We are aiming to double the number of children we are caring for in East Sussex meaning this figure will only go up, and so we’re always looking for different ways to raise much-needed funds to allow us to continue providing and expanding children’s hospice services in East Sussex. The Hands Up! To Help campaign is not only a great way for businesses and individuals in the county who provide services to give something back to the community but also an opportunity to support such a worthwhile local cause.”

All local businesses and individuals are being encouraged to get involved no matter what they can offer. Whether a hotel can donate an overnight stay, a beauty parlour can offer treatments, a local handyman could offer his services, a car valet company can offer a detailing session, a butchers can offer a hamper of meat or a local bakery can provide a celebration cake – whatever the pledge Chestnut Tree is welcoming involvement from anyone in East Sussex.

The Hands Up! To Help website will go live to the public in July and anyone interested in getting involved in the new campaign should contact the Chestnut Tree team on 01323 725095.