A YEAR long fundraising drive by staff at a property and energy firm raised £14,500 for a cancer charity.

Employees at Durham-headquartered The Banks Group voted to raise money during 2018 for Bright Red, which supports people across the north of England who are dealing with a wide range of blood cancers.

It was originally nominated by David Wilson, a member of the company's ICT team, who was diagnosed with multiple myelomas in 2014 and successfully treated at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, where Bright Red is headquartered.

Staff from across Banks’ different businesses and locations took part in a range of fundraising activities through the year, including workplace lunches, dress down days, raffles and cake bakes, as well as taking part in a number of different sporting and activity-related challenges. A 14-strong team completed the national Three Peaks Challenge, while ten Banks cyclists took part in the Tour de Yorkshire Sportive, a 50 mile amateur cycle event.

The money raised was presented to the charity’s head of fundraising Lisa Saxton.

Sara Ellis, of the company's charity fundraising committee, said: "People from every part and level of the business, from the teams on our operational sites right through to the main board, have got involved with fundraising this year, and we're thrilled to have raised so much for such a deserving cause. Bright Red's work has a positive impact on the lives of thousands of families across our region, and we're very glad to have played our part in supporting what they do."

Mark Thompson, chairman of Bright Red and chief executive at Ryder Architecture, said: “We are delighted to have had the support of the Banks Group this past year. The amount raised for Bright Red has been phenomenal and will go along way towards our fight against blood cancer."