RIAS supports Marie Curie Cancer Care by calling out for Christmas choirs
Employees from local specialist insurer RIAS started their festive season earlier than usual this year in a bid to raise money for their 2009 Charity of the Year, Marie Curie Cancer Care.
The 25 volunteers donated their time to make outbound calls to over 150 UK choirs, encouraging them to take part in ‘Sing Out for Marie Curie Cancer Care’, a fundraising initiative which encourages people to dedicate a Christmas performance to the charity. The initiative is supported by Connie Fisher, star of the Sound of Music, and the winners of BBC’s Last Choir Standing, Only Men Aloud!. The first ten choirs across the UK to send in photographs to Marie Curie of their Sing Out! event will receive an Only Men Aloud! Album, which have been generously donated by the choir.
Connie Fisher said: “I’m asking all fellow singing and theatre enthusiasts to Sing Out for Marie Curie Cancer Care this Christmas. All you need to do is dedicate any kind of performance in November or December to the charity. My aunt was cared for by Marie Curie Cancer Care and donations from your performance will allow more Marie Curie Nurses to provide free care to terminally ill patients in their own homes or in the Marie Curie hospice.”
RIAS employees chose Marie Curie Cancer Care as their 2009 Charity of the Year, fundraising to help give people with terminal cancer and other illnesses the choice of dying in their place of choice, at home or in a hospice. Money raised throughout the year will help Marie Curie Nurses provide free care to patients with terminal cancer and other illnesses in their own homes or in the charity’s hospice in East Belfast.
Carol Collins, Head of Belfast Call Centre at RIAS comments: “We are thrilled to offer our time and call centre capability to Marie Curie Cancer Care. The day was a great success with many choirs interested in signing up to the initiative. The fundraising activities that our employees have been involved in have really captured their imaginations and we are on course to achieve our 2009 fundraising target of £25,000. It is great to be able to give back to the community, particularly at Christmas, by supporting this great cause.”
To find out more about ‘Sing Out for Marie Curie Cancer Care’ call 08700 340 040 or visit www.mariecurie.org.uk/singout.
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For more information about the range of products available from RIAS visit www.rias.co.uk
For further information please contact:
Blair Catchpole, Consumer Communications Executive, blair.catchpole@fortis-uk.com, 07909 222026 / 01202 254489
Lucy Pope, Consumer Communications Manager, lpope@rias.co.uk, 01202 254445
About RIAS
RIAS was established in 1992 and is a specialist provider of insurance products for the over 50s age group.
Part of Fortis (Insurance UK), RIAS has nearly a million motor, home and travel insurance customers, employs over 1,100 people across two UK sites, and is one of the UK’s fastest organically growing insurance intermediaries. RIAS negotiates with a panel of insurers to secure competitive, value for money products.
As a leading provider of award-winning personal and commercial lines insurance solutions in the UK, Fortis has a successful customer-centric strategy, founded on aligning its activities to how customers want to buy insurance, combined with delivering high quality products, manufactured at costs better than market norms.
Insuring in excess of 7 million customers and working with a range of partners, Fortis is recognised for delivering consistent and high-quality customer experiences. In 2008, its non-life profit before tax and interest was £76 million and its non-life GWP was £760million.