In 2018, Colin Nicol nominated SiMBA to be one of Aegon/Atos's chosen charities in memory of his nephew Grayson. He spoke so beautifully about Grayson, about the effects that baby loss can have on the whole family and about why he felt so passionately about the need for SiMBA's services.
Colin said "I chose to nominate SiMBA following the birth of Sam & Doug’s baby boy Grayson, who was sadly born sleeping. In the moments that followed Grayson’s birth, Sam & Doug were able to make memories that they will cherish forever. This is all thanks to SiMBA. They were able to spend precious time with him, time they needed and this is something they will forever be thankful for.”
Sam Hogge, Graysons mum added "I am glad to see and hear that Grayson is still helping so many, my beautiful boy keep being you 💙"
We were honoured to work with Colin, the charity committee and Aegon / Atos colleagues to help to raise awareness for SiMBA throughout 2019 and Kirsteen Watson, our Fundraising Officer was delighted to meet with AEGON CEO, Mike Holliday-Williams to receive their incredible donation of £25,317.04.
John Moos from the AEGON Charity Committee said: “AEGON puts the choice of charities we support in the hands of our staff who nominate and vote for deserving causes. This year we are delighted to be able to support SiMBA alongside The Brain Tumour Charity and West Lothian Riding for the Disabled."
AEGON is a pension, investment and protection provider serving over 3.5 million customers in the UK. The company is part of the AEGON group, one of the world's largest insurance companies employing around 3,000 staff.
The following article was published on the AEGON UK website :
Aegon UK raises more than £106,000 for charity
Fundraising went into overdrive in 2019, as Aegon UK employees working with their Atos colleagues raised £106,471 for good causes UK wide.
£92,268 of this was for the seven employee selected charity partners. The remaining £14,200 was raised for a range of other good causes through matched funding and personal fundraising.
Three of the charities attended a presentation at Aegon’s Edinburgh Park HQ where they received a cheque for more than £25,000 from new CEO, Mike Holliday-Williams. Cheque presentations were also held at the other Aegon UK sites in London, Witham, Salford and Peterborough. A breakdown of the fundraising for each of the seven charities can be found below.
Mike Holliday-Williams, CEO, Aegon UK commented:
“Employees have gone above and beyond in 2019 to support the company’s commitment to giving back to our local communities – from nominating the charities close to their hearts, through to the passion and dedication shown in raising these funds for fantastic causes. I’m extremely impressed with the dedication and efforts of those involved and I’ve no doubt this will continue throughout 2020.
“I would also like to thank the charity committees across all the locations for their hard work in keeping up the momentum and delivering for our charity partners. As a business our mission is to help people take responsibility for their future and achieve a lifetime of financial security. So helping people is at the core of what Aegon does, and the fundraising work we do as a company clearly endorses that.”
The company charity committees and employees coordinated everything from raffles, quizzes and bake sales, to marathons, choirs and knitting challenges to raise funds throughout the year. Aegon UK then matched these funds pound for pound, bringing the grand charitable total to £92,268.16 for the seven charity partners.
25% of all funds raised went to the National Charity and 75% of money raised in each location went to the local charity or charities.
Shona Richardson, The Brain Tumour Charity’s Community Fundraiser for Scotland said: “It has been an honour for us to have been chosen as Aegon’s charity partner during this last year. We are inspired by the level of commitment, support and fundraising that they have shown us in raising such an outstanding amount to help everyone affected by a brain tumour diagnosis.
“As the UK’s foremost brain tumour charity, we are leading the way in fighting brain tumours on all fronts through our work and we couldn’t achieve this without the incredible efforts and determination of everyone at Aegon and all our supporters.
“Together, we will find a cure.”
Neil McIntosh, Trustee & Group Chair, West Lothian Riding for the Disabled Association comments:
“On behalf of everyone at West Lothian RDA, I want to thank everyone at Aegon and Atos for raising such an amazing sum of money. We were absolutely delighted to be nominated as one of your corporate partner charities last year and the amount raised is way beyond our wildest expectations.
“This funding is nearly a whole year of operating costs which is just incredible. Having this level of funding is a new experience for us and the news is still sinking in! It will allow us to refresh our current arena surface which is needing attention, we can look for additional horses to expand our herd allowing us to offer riding to a wider range of participants and can help with other projects. Overall, this funding will allow us to improve our participants experience and expand our capabilities. Thank you so, so much! As we say at RDA, it’s what you can do that counts!”
Sara Fitzsimmons MBE, RM, CEO, SiMBA comments:
“It was an honour for SiMBA to be chosen as an Aegon/Atos nominated charity and I would like to extend a huge thank you to all colleagues for their incredible fundraising efforts throughout our partnership. The funds that you have raised will help to support not only our core services which includes our Memory Boxes, support groups and training but also the refurbishment of our family room in St. John’s Hospital in Livingston, which we hope to unveil later this year.
“The difference that Family Rooms can make to a parent’s experience within the hospital is incredible; making memories, taking pictures, cuddling and preparing to say goodbye together. We are deeply humbled and extremely grateful for the support that Aegon/Atos have given to SiMBA.”
The charities were chosen as the result of a company-wide vote on a shortlist of charities nominated by Aegon UK employees.
In 2020 Aegon UK employees and Atos colleagues will be supporting:
- National charity – Macmillan Cancer Support
- Edinburgh local charities – CHAS and Alzheimer’s Scotland
- London local charity – London Air Ambulance
- Manchester local charities – Forever Manchester and The Dianne Oxberry Trust
- Peterborough local charity – East Anglia Children’s Hospices
- Witham local charities - Farleigh Hospice and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance
Breakdown of funds raised for all Aegon UK charity partners in 2019.
Further information
Stephanie Melrose
PR Manager
Aegon UK
Tel: 0131 549 6743
Mob: 07740897621
Notes to Editors
- In the UK, Aegon offers retirement, workplace savings and protection solutions to over three million customers. Aegon employs around 2000 people in the UK and together with a further 800 people employed by Atos, we serve the needs of our customers. More information: aegon.co.uk
- As an international life insurance, pensions and asset management group based in The Hague, Aegon has businesses in over twenty markets in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Aegon companies employ approximately 26,000 people and have millions of customers across the globe. Further information: aegon.com
Figures correct as of November 2019