A charity lunch event for the business community has raised £48,000 for City Hospice, Cardiff’s local hospice.
The second annual Chair’s Lunch – Leaders & Legends event, organised by the charity’s Chair Michael Baker and hosted by ambassador Sian Lloyd, took place at the Parkgate Hotel on 17 October with 220 guests in attendance.
This year’s special guest Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE was interviewed by Deborah Thomas, sharing her experiences in sport, public life and beyond, as well as leadership insights from on and off the track.
Baroness Grey-Thompson, one of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes and now a Life Peer in the House of Lords, shared how the leaders and legends in her career such as Baroness Warnock, Chris Hallam, Lord Sebastian Coe, her coaches and mentors shaped her path, from her access to education to her sporting success and subsequent roles.
The value of creating a strong team that work together and combine their skills to achieve a shared goal was a recurring theme within the conversation between Baroness Grey-Thompson and Deborah which resonated with the businesses in attendance.
Baroness Grey-Thompson revealed that she gets energy from what she does and the people around her. Building a network of different, brilliant people who not only provide support and trust but also challenge each other when necessary can lead to better decision-making and success.
The importance of teamwork was also evident in Deborah’s interview with two of City Hospice’s clinical nurse specialists Kath O’Connell and Faye Russell-Jones who discussed their work in the community and at the charity’s Day Hospice, while student Lani Kirkman recited an original poem in memory of her dad Lee who was cared for by City Hospice.
Guests were encouraged to support the charity’s clinical team’s work through an auction where they could donate a day, week or month of care. Led by ambassador and auctioneer Ben Rogers Jones, the auction raised an incredible £19,500 with 30 days, eight weeks and three months dedicated, the equivalent of funding around six and a half months of one nurse’s care.
Michael Baker, Chair of City Hospice, said: “It was a joy to host the Chair’s Lunch – Leaders & Legends event again. Not only did we gain insights from the wonderful Baroness Grey-Thompson on resilience, passion, and navigating sports and politics thanks to well chosen teams, we also heard directly from those in our own team who provide specialist palliative care for our patients and families, and those who have received our care.
“It was an inspiring and moving afternoon, and we are particularly touched by the generosity of the south Wales business community who have contributed so greatly to help us continue to provide vital care to people across Cardiff.”
This year’s event was sponsored by Brewin Dolphin, Leonard Curtis, Quantum Advisory, Sony and Urban Space.
