Students raise more than £2k for charity
Christ Church students took part in Movember, which aims to raise awareness of men’s mental health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide.
3yr ago
Students and staff have raised £1,000 for local charity Pilgrims Hospices by using an app to incentivise physical activity by rewarding participants with points.
The platform tracks the users’ activities including walking, running, cycling, and swimming. Points can then be redeemed for a variety of prizes and last month the app offered a direct opportunity to donate to the charity.
Within just 72 hours, 163 redemptions were made with points translating into a charitable donation. This contribution will assist Pilgrims Hospices in their mission to support individuals living with incurable illnesses in East Kent.
Donations will provide packs of training cones for support in a physio session, sets of dumbbells to help increase a patient’s strength and mobility and pamper sessions for a patient to ease pain and discomfort.
Pilgrims Hospices is recognised for its dedication to providing care and comfort to thousands of individuals in the region who are grappling with illnesses that, regrettably, have no cure. The charity extends its support across three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury, and Thanet, as well as in patients' own homes. Notably, Pilgrims Hospices offers its services free of charge, relying on voluntary donations for a staggering 80% of its funding. The success of this initiative underscores its immense importance to the local community and the essential work carried out by Pilgrims Hospices.
We are immensely proud of our students and colleagues for their dedication in supporting Pilgrim’s Hospices through this fantastic initiative. It reflects our University's commitment to not only academic excellence but also to the wellbeing and support of our local community. We look forward to providing more opportunities of this kind in the future.
Vice-Chancellor and Professor Rama Thirunamachandran OBE DL
A spokesperson at Pilgrims Hospices, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University and Swiss Re on this exciting opportunity. This is a great way for staff and students to get involved and make a difference in their local community, whilst keeping fit and active.”
Swiss Re commented “It is fantastic that Swiss Re can support the worthwhile Moves App. Our vision is to help make the world more resilient. But we also understand that to make the world more resilient our people need to be resilient first and reconise that a person’s mental wellbeing is as important as their physical wellbeing.
At Swiss Re we work hard to provide a healthy workplace, however, we should all be proactive in taking care of own health. This app is a brilliant way to help encourage us to keep active. I love that it links to events making it more fun.”