BDO Northern Ireland rallies together with Friends of the Cancer Centre

Business advisory firm, BDO Northern Ireland has confirmed details of a two-year partnership with Friends of the Cancer Centre.

The tie-up came about after the charity’s life-saving and life-changing services supported a number of staff members directly affected by cancer. Now more than 170 employees at the award-winning accountancy practice have signed up to show their solidarity with a two-year programme aiming to  generate much-needed funding for pioneering research, clinical care, and patient comfort and care.

For three decades, Friends of the Cancer Centre has operated at Belfast City Hospital and supported thousands of local people affected by cancer and seeks to make a lasting difference to their lives and those of their families.

Maybeth Shaw, Partner at BDO Northern Ireland, said the firm was confident of breaking its annual fundraising record of £16,144 set in 2015:

“Friends of the Cancer Centre is a charity that is very close to the hearts of many of our staff as it has been instrumental in helping some members of our team through very difficult times. We often talk about our business as challenging, but it is good to be able to support those who through kindness, care and support can make so much of a difference for so many people. The drive to collaborate with the charity comes directly from our staff and their desire to get behind the people who have supported them and their families in their times of need. That is a powerful motivator for all of us over the next two years and should help us break our fundraising records over this period. We take great pride in our roots and our responsibility to make a real and significant difference in local lives.”

Colleen Shaw, chief executive of Friends of the Cancer Centre, said:

“We would like to say a huge thank you to the team at BDO for selecting Friends of the Cancer Centre as their charity and we’re really looking forward to working with them throughout the year on their fundraising drive. 

“The support from organisations like BDO is vital and allows us to support cancer patients through our work in three key areas – clinical care, patient comfort and care, and research – which all directly impact on patients and staff in the hospital.  From funding 28 additional doctors, nurses and researchers, to providing thousands of cups of tea and coffee for patients throughout the hospital, everything we do makes a big difference to thousands of patients.  All of this would not be possible without the support of people like the team from BDO and we wish them the best of luck with their fundraising.”

BDO Northern Ireland is an award-winning accountancy practice that employs more than 170 people in Northern Ireland and provides professional services to more than 1,000 local companies.  Its programme with Friends of the Cancer Centre kicked off with our Dragon Boat Race on Saturday 2nd July at Cutters and further events will be announced in due course.