Development Bank of Wales raises £19,000 for bereavement support charity

The Development Bank of Wales has raised over £19,000 for its charity of the year, 2 Wish Upon A Star, after an evening of spectacle and dancing at its annual charity ball, held at the SWALEC Stadium.

Each year the investor dedicates the proceeds to its chosen charity. Last year, as Finance Wales, the bank raised more than £35,000 for its charities, including £31,000 for its charity of the year - The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Their charity this year is 2 Wish Upon A Star. Set up by Rhian Burke to improve bereavement services across Wales, the charity works to provide immediate support for parents who lose a child or young person under 25 suddenly or unexpectedly.  

Rhian said everyone at the charity was delighted to attend: “We had a fantastic evening at the Development Bank of Wales charity ball and met some amazing people. Corporate support is something we are increasingly looking to gain, so it was great to network with so many influential and well-established businesses.

“We are delighted and grateful to have been chosen as the Development Bank of Wales’ charity of the year, especially as this year we celebrate our fifth birthday! The funds raised by the charity go towards helping those who are in need of immediate support and to improve bereavement facilities in local hospitals and accident and emergency departments.

“Our work helps people through the worst moments of their lives, but we can only do that if we have enough funding. Partnerships such as this with the Development bank of Wales are crucial to our supportive strategy.”

Development Bank of Wales staff nominates and choose their charity for the year, every year at their end of year review in April.

Emma Phillips, operations manager for Angels Invest Wales at the Development Bank of Wales who nominated 2 Wish Upon A Star said: “Rhian and the team at 2 Wish are inspirational as they provide invaluable support for people at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. I’m delighted we’ve been able to raise over £19,000 for them at our charity ball. We look forward to raising more for them over the next few months as staff take on a number of different sponsorship challenges and organise other fundraising events. We’re really pleased to be able to help this local charity with their work.”

For more information or to support the charity, you can visit www.2wishuponastar.org.