22 November 2004

Staff from leading life and pensions provider Clerical Medical chose to revive memories past by dressing up as their favourite storybook character or children’s nursery rhyme in aid of Children In Need.

Some departments chose to dress up in a particular theme, such as the team from the work preparation area in customer service, who used the children’s classic 101 Dalmatians as their inspiration, complete with Cruella De Ville, a litter of puppies and a trail of paw prints in their wake.

Meanwhile colleagues from HR chose Disney and cartoon characters as their theme, with Buzz Lightyear, Aladdin and Pocahontas all making guest appearances on the day.

Others turned to tales of adventure, with the colleagues from the pensions transfer team choosing to dress as characters from Treasure Island, including Long John Silver, with his very own parrot and treasure chest.

Popular favourites also included nursery rhymes such as Jack and Jill and timeless fairytales such as Snow White and the seven dwarfs.

As well as raising money by dressing up in children’s character, colleagues across the business also staged events during the day, including a Pop Idol contest and three legged horse race, as well as arranging several raffles and holding a lunchtime bingo competition.

Pop Idol was hosted by Customer Service’s very own Andy ‘Ant’ Shef and Dave ‘Dec’ Green, Managing Director, John Hiew and Kim Fry, Head of Customer Service hosted the Pop Idol competition, acting as Simon Cowell and Kim taking time out from her day job as Sharon Osbourne.

The winning duet treated colleagues to a stunning rendition of the Grease classic, "You’re The One That I Want", deemed as ‘exceptional’ by the judges.

Other highlights included a three legged race around the building, complete with water jumps and hurdles, with managers pitted against team leaders and administrators.

Commenting on the fundraising events, Managing Director, John Hiew said, "This year is the 25th anniversary of Children in Need and we are delighted that our colleagues across the business have shown such support for a very deserving cause."

Last year Clerical Medical raised over £4,500 from fundraising events, but with donations still flooding in, the company is confident of beating their target.

Explains John Hiew, "Our colleagues in Customer Service have already raised £2,000 on the actual day and we expect to raise another £2,00O from donations still being collected. This £4,000 will be match funded from the HBOS Foundation, bringing the overall total for Children in Need to over £8,000 , which is a fantastic achievement for our people."