Last Friday a team of insurance professionals from across the Midlands raisied funds for Fisher House by playing a charity football match against Lichfield Wolves at The Molineux. The insurance team, led by Mark Hands (LV= Broker) and John Court-Jones (Arthur J Gallagher), was made up of 17 keen footballers from local companies including LV= Broker, Arthur J Gallagher, Idex, Adler Insurance Brokers and Jelf.
The group hoped to raise over £500 for Fisher House, which aims to offer a 'home away from home' for military patients and their families and is based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and run by QEHB Charity.
Fisher House was selected after team manager Mark Hands heard of local man Dave Watson, a former soldier who lost both legs and an arm in Helmand, Afghanistan, in 2010. The charity supported Dave and his family during his recovery and rehabilitation.
Mark Hands, LV= Broker Head of Trading (North), said: “I was first introduced to the wonderful work that Fisher House does after meeting with Dave Watson. Dave is an inspirational character who has shown great bravery and resilience in the face of adversity, so it’s a privilege for the local insurance community to be able to give something back to the charity that helped him when he needed it most. We sincerely hope that our donation can help Fisher House keep up the amazing support it gives injured service personnel and their families.”
Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising at QEHB Charity, said: “Fisher House has been home to over 1,700 UK military families and friends since its opening and we are continuing to see an increase in families needing this facility, as many injured and ill UK military personnel travel from far and wide for ongoing treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, with Fisher House providing free accommodation, comfort and security for their families during this time, on-site of the hospital. Our thanks go to Mark and LV for their fantastic support, which enables us to offer a haven for UK military families during their time of need”