By splashing out to raise donations for local charity, Naomi House, Winterthur Life staff was presented in July with the award for top team at the Lions Club of Basingstoke’s 24th annual swimathon.

Winterthur was the only business organisation involved in this event, with three teams taking part. £1,700 was raised overall with half going towards their chosen charity, Naomi House, and the remaining half being donated to The Lions Club’s chosen charities.

Jill Livingstone, Corporate Fund Raiser of Naomi House, said,

We’re delighted with the ongoing support from Winterthur Life which makes a difference helping us to provide crucial care services free of charge for life limited children and their families.

Participants who swam the highest number of laps, and those who raised the largest sum of money were both awarded with trophies, presented to them by Lions Club president, Barry Morgan at Winterthur Life head office on July 24.

The swimathon took place on Saturday, March 3 2007, at Tadley Swimming Pool, with a total of seven teams taking part.

Winterthur staff who took part in the event were Gill Brooks, Michelle Finlayson, Teresa Cummins, Laura Soden, Rachel Welford, Richard Satchwell, Alice Cantelo, Amy Cantelo, and Deborah Plester.

Laura Soden, Project Co-ordinator at Winterthur, said,

There was a really good atmosphere throughout the evening and everyone was cheering each other on. It was a good, fun event that was well run by the Lions Club.

Richard Satchwell, Assistant Management Accountant at Winterthur, said,

People at Winterthur get involved with lots of charity fund raising. This is a very positive thing and I have enjoyed being a part of it every year during the five years that I have worked for the company. The main highlight was seeing so many people of different age groups and abilities taking part.

The Lions Club is a fundraising organisation that has been in operation since 1967. The annual swimathon is one of many charity events organised by The Lions Club. People of all ages and swimming abilities may participate in the event, raising as much money as they can for their chosen charities.

The Lions Club holds many events throughout the year; keep a look out for other Lions Club events this year to get involved in. For more information, call Barry Morgan on (01256) 358008.

Leading disability insurer Unum, based in Basingstoke, has been named ‘Rehabilitation Provider of the Year’ at the 2007 Rehabilitation First Awards, which were held on 13th July 2007 at the Kensington Roof Gardens in London.

The judges gave particular praise to Unum’s account management processes, which they cited as a major factor in the decision to hand them the award.

Joy Reymond, Head of Rehabilitation Services at Unum, says:

When it comes to protecting against the impact of long-term employee sickness absence, no business can afford to take shortcuts. Sickness absence can play havoc with any company’s bottom line, regardless of their size and, moreover, can have devastating effects on the morale and productivity of all the company’s employees.

For many years, Unum has been supporting employers and their staff during these often traumatic times, helping them to safeguard one of their most valuable resources. Our in-house team of experts provide crucial rehabilitation support, absence management and disability guidance to facilitate a safe and timely return to work for their staff. We are absolutely delighted to see our hard work recognised in this way.