PwC Isle of Man is celebrating a fantastic year of charitable giving, community engagement and sponsorship initiatives.

The firm sets a staff fundraising target every year and in 2015 aimed to reach ?4,500; however, thanks to the dedication of PwC staff, the final total topped ?6,000. Beneficiaries of the fundraising include Isle of Man charities like Manx Cancer Help and the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group.

In addition, staff contributed many hours of community work to projects, including 200 staff hours at Isle of Man Hospice and work at Arbory School. Members of staff were also given a day of leave during 2015 to dedicate to a community project of their choice, and enjoyed assisting a number of charities with a variety of worthwhile ventures.

PwC, which employs more than 115 people in the Island, also sponsored a variety of charitable initiatives throughout the year, including Manx Cancer Help’s inaugural ‘Mann Up For November’ campaign, which aimed to raise awareness of male cancers and encourage men to make use of the emotional and psychological therapies that the charity provides.

PwC Director Paul Jones said: ‘Corporate responsibility is integral to what we do as a firm, an inherent part of our core business. PwC is committed to playing a leading role in achieving a sustainable future, taking responsibility for our actions and promoting responsible business practices, whilst looking to minimise our impact on the environment. We are keen to support the growth and development of not just our staff, but the community at large.

‘One of the main fundraising contributions went to the Manx Breast Cancer Support Group, which has raised money to provide a dedicated Breast Care Unit at Noble’s Hospital and we are delighted to be sponsoring the reception at the unit.’

Other charities to benefit from the staff’s efforts during the year include Jeans for Genes, Children in Need, Rebecca House, Comic Relief, Isle of Man Hospice at Home, Samaritans, Ebola Crisis Appeal, Isle of Man Children’s Centre, Manx Workshop for the Disabled and Cancer Research UK.

The money was raised by staff taking part in several events, including a Christmas jumper day, the annual Santa Dash around the streets of Douglas, Relay for Life, the Parish Walk and a Summer Ball.

Paul added: ‘The staff thoroughly enjoy the community work projects, for which each member of staff can allocate half a day to a particular project. These have included working with Beach Buddies collecting 165 bags of rubbish over the last two years, working on the gardens at Isle of Man Hospice, and planting trees and repainting fences at Arbory School.

‘We also have a separate corporate responsibility budget each year, with which we sponsor, or contribute towards, various community initiatives, including the Manx hockey leagues, the Manx Gems netball team, and charity golf days.

‘We would like to thank our staff for their incredible efforts and congratulate them, both on raising such a fantastic amount for charity, and for their overall support towards all of the firm’s corporate responsibility endeavours.’

Photo - Robyn Brewster (left), Voirrey McGill (second left) and Paul Jones from PwC present a cheque to Helen Mylchreest, Breast Care Nurse Specialist at the Manx Breast Unit. The funds were part of an overall ?6,000 raised for Island charities and community groups during 2015.