Salts Healthcare, a 300-year-old family-owned healthcare company has given £2500 to charity Teddington based Beating Bowel Cancer after the organisation came second in a nationwide competition run by the Birmingham-based firm.

Now in its third year, the Salts Family Fund gives away cash prizes to five charities chosen by its staff. The public are then invited to vote for their favourite with three top prizes. After polling 27% of the votes, Beating Bowel Cancer has won £2500 and Fund Raising Officer Broma Patel visited the company’s HQ in Birmingham to receive the money which will be used to provide vital practical and emotional help for everyone affected by bowel cancer.

Beating Bowel Cancer brings patients and their families and friends together to share invaluable experience and support through online forums, social media and major events.

The charity’s high impact campaigns have led to the introduction of the bowel cancer screening programme, which is helping save lives, as well as new funding and broadening patient access to life changing cancer treatments.

Salts Medilink is the customer delivery arm of the family-owned, 300-year-old, 600 staff strong firm from Aston, Birmingham that manufacturers healthcare products throughout the UK and exports worldwide. Headed by three brothers who are tenth-generation members of the Salt family the company has nineteen offices across the UK which provides a local delivery service of their products.

Beating Bowel Cancer was nominated as one of five different charities Salts staff for the Family Fund competition. Via social media, advertising and editorial, members of the public were then asked to vote over a nine-month period for their favourite charity.

The Multiple System Atrophy Trust won the top prize of £5,000 after polling 36% of the votes, Beating Bowel Cancer came second with 27% followed by Macmillan Cancer Support with 26% in third position. Broma Patel, Fundraising Officer said: “I’m very grateful to Salts for the money which will help and I’m extremely proud that we were voted for by the general public.”

Peter Salt, Salts Healthcare Managing Director said: “This is the third year of the Salts Medilink Family Fund. We started the Fund because we wanted to give something back to the areas where we have our offices, to the people who work for us and most importantly to our customers and their families who rely upon our products and services. We wanted the public to make the decisions for us and we’ve been amazed how many votes have been cast, showing that all the charities that were nominated have a very special place in people’s hearts. I am delighted to award this money to the Beating Bowel Cancer.”

Submitted by Jane Thomas