Brimmond raises £155k for Charlie House
Latest Charlie House ‘coo’ steers Brimmond fundraising total to £155K
In its fifth year of supporting local children’s charity Charlie House, Aberdeenshire based engineering specialists, have raised £155K to date and forged even closer relations with the charity🧡
Last month, Brimmond placed the winning bid of £25K in the auction for the third and final member of the family of life-size Charlie House Highland ‘coo’ sculptures at the glittering Charlie House Big Build Ball. Barbara, the mum of the family, will be joining Charlie, the original coo and gorgeous calf, Louis in pride of place outside the firm’s Kintore HQ. Louis was named after the son of Charlie House founders Tracey and Craig Johnstone, who sadly died last year aged 15.
The life-size Highland cow sculptures have been crafted by renowned metalwork artist Kev Paxton and his team at ‘ArtFe’ in Edinburgh, using recycled waste metal donated by John Lawrie Metals.
Charlie House works to improve the quality of life for babies, children and young people in the North-east of Scotland who have life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and to provide support for them and their families.
Brimmond, which specialises in the design, manufacture, rental and repair of lifting, mechanical and hydraulic equipment for industry, has supported Charlie House since 2019. They have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with the Big Build Ball, becoming headline sponsors for the past two years. The Kintore-based firm recently pledged an additional £20K to the charity. Over the years the Brimmond team have powered through the toughest of sporting challenges, from the Banchory Beast Race to 10K runs and even marathons, to play their part in the collective efforts for Charlie House.
Brimmond’s Managing Director, Mr Murdoch has also joined the charity’s Capital Appeal Board. The Capital Appeal Board provides guidance and support for the successful delivery of Charlie House’s Big Build Appeal – a £8m fundraising initiative aimed at constructing a specialist care facility to provide vital respite, palliative and end-of-life care for local children.
Brimmond has pledged to raise a further £20K towards the Big Build Appeal, specifically to fund the outdoor garden and play area, which will offer a mix of interactive musical instruments, swings, slides and roundabouts plus quiet spots to enjoy the fresh air. Charlie House anticipates being onsite and having spades in the ground in 2025, to start work on this much-needed facility.
Emma Leiper Finlayson, Director of Fundraising at Charlie House said: “The team at Brimmond are a truly special group of people. The phenomenal amount of funds they’ve raised is testament to their unwavering commitment and championing of Charlie House and the Big Build Appeal. Their support has a truly meaningful and profound impact, helping local children and their families to get the care and support they need when the new specialist facility is built, and enabling them to focus on making every moment count at the most difficult of times.”
Managing Director of Brimmond, Tom Murdoch said: “Our whole team has enjoyed supporting Charlie House since voting for it as our charity of choice back in 2019. As a family business, Charlie House’s guiding principles to be inclusive and family-centred really resonate with us all. I know I speak for the whole Brimmond team when I say that we couldn’t be more proud to support Charlie House in the work that they do – it's a genuine lifeline for so many children, young people and their families. Hearing from the families who are supported by the charity at the Charlie House Big Build Ball struck an emotional chord with everyone in the room, reinforcing the value of the fundraising that we do.
"We are very much looking forward to seeing the specialist care facility become a reality thanks to the Big Build Appeal. With no similar facility available north of the Central Belt, this will make a world of difference to families caring for a child with life-limiting conditions. Joining the Capital Appeal Board earlier this year was an obvious decision for me. I’m very humbled but also inspired to be part of the team who are responsible for turning the Charlie House Big Build vision into a reality.”