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Maris Smash Target To Raise £85,000 For The Rainbow Trust

For the past three years, Maris Interiors, the UK’s leading firm of workplace design and office fit out experts, has been supporting Rainbow Trust, an incredible charity who provide practical and emotional support to families who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness.

It all started back in December 2006, when 109 Elvises delivered their rendition of “Suspicious Minds” to bemused airport staff and travellers, before boarding a Virgin flight to complete a sponsored walk of the air miles from London Gatwick to Las Vegas, Nevada. The team crashed their way into the Guinness World Records as the largest gathering of Elvis impersonators and raised £75,000.

In 2007, Maris Interiors pledged to continue to support Rainbow Trust, aiming to raise a further £75,000 for the charity. Michael Howard, Chairman of Maris Interiors commented, “Sir Richard helped us in 2006 by allowing us to do a sponsored walk on one of his flights and even posed with our Elvises.

So to acknowledge his support, we decided to be him in 2007! 130 Richard Branson’s pitched up at Heathrow airport to sing the classic Madonna hit “Like a Virgin” and we raised a further £80,000 for Rainbow Trust!”

2008’s fund raising effort centred on a big cash prize raffle. The team rallied round to sell raffle tickets to friends and family and business partners pledged support with donations as well. The raffle was drawn in the Maris board room on 19th December 2008. The prize winner, Maris Client Dip Chatto, Executive Director at Alpari (UK) Ltd amazingly donated the £5,000 cash prize to Rainbow Trust! The total amount raised in 2008 totalled a massive L85,000 – the most raised for Rainbow Trust to date!

Heather Wood, Chief Executive of Rainbow Trust, said: “This is a hugely significant donation for us and the money will help us to provide practical and emotional support to around 35 families throughout 2009 by providing them each with a family support worker and offering them much needed respite breaks together at our respite home in Surrey.”