Tuesday 27 January 2015
Award-winning media company, UKTV, announced today that GIST Support UK has been voted by staff as the company's Charity of the Year for 2015.
GIST (GastroIntestinal Stromal Tumour) is a rare form of cancer that affects both adults and children, and around 900 new patients are diagnosed every year in the UK. GIST Support UK is a small charity which provides support to patients and their families. It is run by volunteer trustees and the charity encourages research into GIST cancer and works to improve patient care. More information can be found at www.gistsupportuk.com.
This year, UKTV's tenacious fundraisers will be raising money for the charity by competing in a new cycle challenge, which will cover 300km from London to Versailles. Bake sales, pub quizzes and more sporting activities are also on the agenda, with every penny raised going to GIST Support UK.
UKTV's CEO Darren Childs said,
I'm extremely proud of the commitment UKTV staff show each year to supporting the company's elected charity and last year we doubled our target amount to raise a record £75,000. I'm in no doubt that UKTV's dedicated fundraisers will once again meet every challenge set during 2015 to raise as much money as possible for GIST Support UK.
Jayne Bressington, Vice Chair GIST Support UK & Patient Director of the PAWS-GIST Initiative, added,
The Trustees of GIST Support UK are excited and honoured to have been chosen as UKTV's Charity of the Year. Fundraising is vital to instigate GIST cancer research projects and we hope that with UKTV's support we can raise both funds and awareness of this rare cancer, throughout the UK. Our search to improve treatments and find a cure for GIST cancer is ongoing. Thank you UKTV for joining and supporting the mission!
UKTV's Charity of the Year campaign forms part of the company's CSR strategy which gives staff the opportunity to nominate charities close to their heart which are then put to a company-wide vote. Last year UKTV smashed through its fundraising target of £30,000 to raise £75,000 for children's charity COSMIC through various fundraising initiatives, including a triathlon which over half of UKTV's workforce took part in.
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For more information please contact:
Kerry Parker, Head of Network Communications
[Lara Feinstein, Corporate Communications Coordinator]http://pressoffice.uktv.co.uk/article/press-contacts/)
Notes to Editors
About UKTV
UKTV is the multi-award winning media company that reaches over 42 million viewers every month.
UKTV's eleven imaginative brands - UKTV Play, Dave, Watch, Gold, Alibi, Yesterday, Drama, Really, Home, Eden and Good Food - include the most popular non-PSB channel in the UK and account for 9% of the British commercial TV market. The company's most recent financial results showed record-breaking year-end revenue of £278m, and EBITDA of £67.4m. It invested a record £125m in programming and related launches last year, and is becoming an increasingly significant investor in UK creativity.
UKTV has a truly innovative model, curating brand-defining commissions, high-profile acquisitions and the very best of BBC, alongside programmes originally shown on ITV and Channel 4. The network embraces technology to deliver inspired channels to audiences through Freeview, Sky, Virgin Media, BT, TalkTalk, YouView and UKTV Play, and distributes its highly valued original programmes to 200 territories.
Now celebrating its 21st year at the forefront of digital television, UKTV - an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide and Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) - is proud to be the only British television broadcaster to be recognised by Best Companies.