A Derbyshire school trust is helping young people to get over the disappointment of watching England lose at the European football championships by donating the proceeds of a city-wide sweepstake to a local charity.
Embark Federation has handed over £1,325 to Derby Kids’ Camp, after winning it in the Great Derby EURO 2024 Office Sweepstake, a month-long city-wide knock-out contest which ran alongside the tournament itself.
The competition was organised by leading Derby PR agency Penguin PR, which invited 24 local firms to make a donation on JustGiving in order to book their place in the sweepstake and build up the prize pot.
The firm then conducted an FA Cup-style draw two days before the first match, selecting numbered balls at random to pair each of the companies with the 24 teams taking part.
Embark Federation, which runs 21 schools across the county, had been one of the first organisations to sign up to the sweepstake and its numbered ball was pulled out alongside that of Spain’s.
The companies, which included global triathlon and sportswear brand HUUB, doughnut bakers Project D, COSMO Derby buffet restaurant and medical equipment manufacturers Pennine Healthcare, then dropped out one by one as their corresponding teams were knocked out of the competition.
By the final weekend, Embark was one of only two companies left alongside Longford-based Matthew Montague Architects, which had been drawn with England.
Despite the Three Lions scoring an equaliser in the second half, Embark’s Spain ended the match as the winner, sparking scenes of celebration in Madrid and also in the Derwent Business Centre in Clarke Street, where the Embark Federation is based.
All that was left was for the Derby sweepstake winners’ leader Matt Crawford to choose which charity to give the money to, settling on Derby Kids’ Camp, which treats hundreds of children across the city to a week of fun and camping in the Derbyshire countryside every summer.
He said: “Although everyone in the Trust was rooting for England, we also had an eye on Spain, having followed them all the way through the tournament after we drew them in the sweepstake.
“It brought a different perspective to the Euros and, although we didn’t get the result the whole country was hoping for, we’re delighted that Spain’s win has resulted in us being able to make a donation to a great charity which does so much good for children across Derbyshire.”
Chris Edwards, chairman of Derby Kids’ Camp, said: “We’re hugely grateful to Matt and Embark for this donation. Our summer camp relies purely on volunteering and donations, so anything we receive makes a huge difference to the hundreds of children who come to visit us each year.”
Simon Burch, a director at Penguin PR, said: “Derby businesses are very supportive of the city and each other and we wanted to use EURO 2024 as a way to bring them together in a friendly competition.
“We were delighted with the response from the business community and happy that everyone who took part enjoyed it. Our congratulations go to the Embark Federation and we hope the money makes Derby Kids’ Camp extra special this year.”
This story was written and shared on behalf of Penguin PR by Simon Burch. Can we share your news and get you in the headlines too? Find out how we can help by getting in touch.
