Staff from Chester Lloyds Banking Group man phones for Save the Children

Aug 18 2011 by Katie Bamber, Chester Chronicle

STAFF from a Chester call centre will give up their free time to raise money for Save the Children this weekend.

Volunteers from Lloyds Banking Group will man the phones during the series finale of ITV1 show Born to Shine on Sunday, taking donations from viewers throughout the evening.

Chester site manager Scott Macauley said: “Supporting Save the Children in this initiative is particularly exciting for us because the show is the first of its kind and, as our chosen Charity of the Year, we are glad to be actively contributing our time to it.

“The involvement of so many local colleagues is especially important as it reflects the widespread involvement and the appeal this project has.”

The series, which features talented young people teaching celebrities a new skill, will climax with a fundraising extravaganza featuring comedian Jason Manford and rugby player Gareth Thomas.

Save the Children is Lloyds Banking Group’s Charity of the Year and is currently aiming to raise £1m to fund 52 Families and Schools Together (FAST) projects in some of the UK’s most deprived areas.

Douglas Rouse, corporate partnerships director at Save the Children, said: “We are delighted that Lloyds Banking Group is our exclusive call centre partner for Born to Shine.”

For more information, visit www.savethechildren.org.uk.