A HYDE firm is attempting to celebrate its 50th year by raising £50,000 for charity.
Fire protection and facilities management group Besseges has reached its half century after being formed in September 1976.
And to celebrate the occasion, it has launched a year-long fundraising initiative, Fifty in Fifty.
Employees will participate in a range of fundraising activities, including sporting challenges, community events, team fundraising activities and charity-led initiatives.
To maximise the impact, Besseges has committed to matching funds raised pound for pound, up to £25,000, taking the campaign to its £50,000 target.
The campaign launched in support of Breast Cancer Now, with four further charities to follow across the year.
They will be selected with direct input from employees, reinforcing the people-first culture that has underpinned the business throughout its history.
And the firm says the launch of Fifty in Fifty reflects the values that have guided Besseges for half a century – delivering on commitments, building lasting relationships and creating positive outcomes for customers, colleagues and communities alike.
Marking the milestone, non-executive director Graham Norfolk said: “Half a century in this industry is not luck.
“Pat Macnair built Besseges on straightforward principles, do the job properly, and everything the business has become stands on that foundation. Fifty years on, those principles still run through the company.”
Andy Prendergast, chief operating officer, added: “We are proud of what we do.
“Fifty years of Besseges belongs to the foundations laid by the founder Pat Macnair and to the engineers and support teams who do the real work, and Fifty in Fifty is our way of putting our energy into something bigger than the business.”
Looking to the future, chief executive David Prendergast commented: “Besseges is growing faster at 50 than at any point in its history, and that is entirely down to the people in it, past and present.
“I have owned this business for four of those 50 years; the foundations Pat Macnair built are the ones we stand on today.
“Our job is the next 50 – a bigger business that still does things properly and we look after our people”
Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/page/bessegesgroup1.