Saga has announced the winners of the annual Saga Charity Awards. The awards recognise the great efforts of the Saga Employees actively raising money for a variety of local and national causes.

The Saga Charity Awards, which were held on 21^st September on board the Saga Sapphire with a celebration lunch, presented awards to celebrate the achievements of those who have dedicated their time to volunteering within the local community or fundraising for their favourite charities.

Employees were asked to nominate each other or themselves for the ‘Volunteer of the Year’ and ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ categories. The awards are an opportunity to recognise the charitable contributions made by our employees and to celebrate their achievements, 8 nominations were received in total; 6 for ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ and 2 for ‘Volunteer of the Year’.

Darren Batchelor was awarded “Fundraiser of the Year”, whilst Victoria Johnson received “Volunteer of the Year”. Darren Batchelor has undertaken several fundraisers to raise vital funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK, raising over £16,000 for the charity in memory of his wife, including £3,500 for climbing Kilimanjaro. Mr Batchelor was nominated for his “great tenacity and compassion” who “deserves to be recognised for this.”

Victoria Johnson, who was awarded “Volunteer of the Year”, worked with Thanet Cosplay and UK Games Expo requesting to fundraise during their three-day public event. Victoria organised costumed entertainment gathering volunteers from across the UK and created a tolkienesque ork village at NEC Arena Birmingham, using canvas tents and homemade props. Funds were raised at the event by photo opportunities, bucket collecting, raffles, a charity auction and a bring and buy sale. As requested by UK Games Expo, the funds raised were split between Beanstalk and Birmingham Mind, with both charities receiving £9300.  Victoria has avidly been fundraising for the past 5 years, attending and volunteering at over 180 events. As winners, both Darren and Victoria will each receive £500 for their chosen charities.

Helen Wathen, Charity Fundraising and Community Manager at Saga said: “We are always in awe of the generosity and dedication from Saga employees who to continue to fundraise or volunteer and are making a real difference to the local and wider communities.

Saga passionately believes in giving something back to the community and Saga employees from across the business are proven to be avid fundraisers. It is great to be able to offer these unsung heroes the recognition they deserve for their huge efforts and celebrate their fundraising and volunteering achievements.”

ENDS