Pendleside Hospice is delighted to announce the remarkable success of its 2025 Corporate Challenge, which raised an impressive £249,185.02 for hospice care across Burnley and Pendle.
The challenge, which ran from 1 June to the end of September, brought together fifty local businesses who were each given £50 to start with and challenged to turn it into as much money as possible. The Corporate Challenge is open exclusively to corporate organisations and has become one of Pendleside’smost excitingand biggest annual fundraising campaigns.
This year’s participants fully embraced the spirit of friendly competition and creativity, hosting an extraordinary mix of events and activities. Businesses across the borough organised bingo nights, took part in ultra fitness challenges, hosted workplace fun days and even volunteered for live body waxing.
The inventive and often surprising fundraising ideas reflected the enthusiasm and generosity that continue to make the Corporate Challenge such a standout campaign.
To thank everyone involved, Pendleside hosted a special awards evening on 31st October at Crow Wood Hotel in Burnley. The celebration brought together participating organisations, volunteers and supporters for an evening filled with gratitude, entertainment and community pride.
Fourteen awards were presented, recognising outstanding achievements across a range of categories that celebrated commitment, innovation, teamwork and fundraising impact.
A highlight of the evening was the crowning of Burnley College as this year's Corporate Challenge, an accolade given to the organisation the judges felt had demonstrated key principles of the challenge including teamwork, collaboration and commitment to the cause.
The full list of 2025 Corporate Challenge Award Winners is as follows:
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Best Event Award - Senior Aerospace Weston
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Best Newcomer Award - The Royal Dyche
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Collaboration Award - Rolls-Royce
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Corporate Challenge Champion - Burnley College
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Corporate Challenge Enabler - Mary Lenehan
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Digital Marketing Award - Future Leaders
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Fundraiser of the Year - Avril Pilling, Burnley College
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Innovation Award - Burnley Sales and Lettings
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Large Business of the Year - Daisy Group
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Laugh Out Loud Award - Burnley College
Pendleside Hospice also extended heartfelt thanks to this year’s award sponsors. Their generosity ensured that the evening recognised the achievements of every organisation and individual who took part.
The awards were proudly sponsored by 313 Logistics, Colne Networking, Daisy Group, Elite Autos, Empire Estates, Harringtons Learning Centre, Rightway, Rolls Royce, Santa's Pizza, Senior Aerospace Weston, Tesco, Thorne Fire and Security and Zest Document Solutions with the headline sponsor being Daisy.
Matthew Riley, Chairman and Founder of Daisy, said: "This outstanding result is a testament to the strength and generosity of businesses across our area. Raising such an incredible total for Pendleside Hospice demonstrates just what's possible when our community comes together with purpose.
"I would also like to recognise our Daisy team, whose dedication and hard work raised more than £30,000, putting them top of the leaderboard. Their commitment to supporting local causes continues to set a high standard, and we are extremely proud of their efforts."
Pendleside would also like to thank the events suppliers, ICS Live, who kindly provided the sound and lighting at a reduced cost and helped create a brilliant atmosphere on the night.Photographer Andy Ford and the host for the evening, Jon Cant.
The awards night featured a raffle and auction to raise additional funds for the hospice, with prizes including a brand new television, a gold package worth over £400 and a £100 holiday voucher. Volunteers from Pendleside supported the event by selling raffle tickets throughout the evening.
With the awards wrapped up, guests danced the night away to live music from Zoe Unsworth and her band, ending the evening on a real high.
The Corporate Challenge has become an important highlight in Pendleside’s fundraising calendar, strengthening relationships with local employers while raising essential funds for its services. The generosity displayed through this year’s campaign will support specialist palliative care, wellbeing services, bereavement counselling and support for families across the local community.
With running costs continuing to rise, the contribution of local businesseslarge and small plays a vital role in ensuring Pendleside can continue providing compassionate care, free of charge to those who need it most.
Everyone's dedication, enthusiasm and creativity have made a significant difference to the lives of local people and have strengthened the community spirit that Pendleside is proud to be part of.
Planning is already underway for the 2026 Corporate Challenge, if your business would like to get involved please contact [email protected] for more information.
For further information about supporting Pendleside Hospice, please visit www.pendleside.org.uk.