Praesepe raise charitable donation to £1m for CHIPS!

Praesepe, the Gauselmann owned company that operates the Cashino brand of adult gaming centres and Beacon Bingo clubs in the UK, has reached a new landmark in its support of CHIPS, the registered charity that provides bespoke powered wheelchairs to children with severe mobility issues. The most recent donation took the company’s total fundraising to a magnificent figure in excess of £1,000,000.

Reflecting on the company’s fundraising journey, Nick Harding, Senior Advisor to the Gauselmann Group, said: “In the early days we didn’t have the critical mass to raise the sort of sums to which we aspired, however, as we grew the business our fundraising ability also grew and in recent years, thanks to a herculean effort from both Cashino and Beacon staff, we have been able to achieve a six figure sum each year.”

He continued: “All this effort has now added up to a total Praesepe contribution to CHIPS of just over £1m. To say that I am proud of the Praesepe staff, and customers would be a huge understatement. If the average cost is £6,000 per wheel chair they have changed the lives of 167 children and their families. I am sure that under Mark Schertle’s leadership at Praesepe he will be embracing the charity. CHIPS works on three levels, firstly, and most importantly it alters a child’s life, secondly it galvanises venue staff into getting involved in fundraising and being able to see the fruits of their labour gives them real pride and thirdly we have found that customers love the charity and they are delighted to work with a company that clearly cares deeply about ‘making a difference’ for some very disabled and often very disadvantaged children.”

Linda Lindsay, who co-founded CHIPS in 2001, said: “This is a momentous occasion in the history of what is the gaming industry’s charity. Praesepe is our first million pound donor and it has been a total delight working with the team who have shown so much enthusiasm for getting involved and so much compassion. Nick, who also serves as a CHIPS Trustee, has had an inspirational influence on our fundraising, bringing a steely determination and a great sense of humour to the task. On behalf of all the recipients and their families I would like to say a massive, massive thank you to Nick and the wonderful team at Praesepe.”

For more information on how to be part of the CHIPS fundraising family, visit: chipscharity.org