Bank of Montreal’s BMO Capital Markets team in London has raised £13,500 to subsidise a residential trip for their local primary school at Farms for City Children’s Gloucestershire farm this autumn. Farms for City Children offers residential breaks for primary school children living in some of the most densely populated and disadvantaged communities in England and Wales. BMO embarked on an ambitious month of fundraising with staff across the business contributing to running, walking and cycling 424 miles, the distance from their London office, to the charity’s bases in Gloucestershire and Devon, and back to the office again.
Several teams competed to cover the most distance and to raise the most sponsorship. After a month the teams had covered a staggering 8,000 miles with BMO’s staff, clients and suppliers raising £13,500 for the school.
Lisa, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Farms for City Children said: “What an amazing effort and commitment. The money BMO have raised will directly support children living in the community around their London office, children who have faced unimaginable levels of stress and worry over the last 14 months. All of us would like to say a huge thank you to BMO, for working so hard to raise these funds, at such a busy time for the business. Without supporters like BMO raising the funds to subsidise these trips, these wonderful experiences, and the life-enhancing benefits of getting out of the city and working in the countryside for a week, would not be available to city children.”
A spokesperson for BMO’s CSR team commented “We were concerned about the impact of the pandemic on children living in our local community and wanted to show our support. Farms for City Children provide so much more than a week in the countryside; they help children to develop new skills; grow in confidence and provide the tools for children to solve problems and build resilience. These experiences make a huge difference to the lives of young people and never more so than now. We would like to thank all of our colleagues, clients, suppliers and everyone who supported our summer fundraising campaign, it has been a fantastic team effort for an incredibly worthwhile cause.”
