Nine prominent members of the Thames Valley business were sent to jail this week as part of a fundraiser for Helen & Douglas House children’s hospice.
The event, organised by Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, took place on October 11 and raised a total of £15,000 for the hospice which looks after terminally ill children.
After being escorted by police to the historic Oxford Castle and Prison, participants were locked up in prison and, armed with their mobiles and laptops, were tasked with raising a minimum bail payment of £999 to buy back their freedom.
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Joanna DeBiase, Managing Partner of IBB Law, said: “I was delighted to be asked to take part in the Helen and Douglas House jail and bail event. It is a wonderful charity that helps so many families in the Thames Valley and I was incredibly proud to be part of an event that raised so much money for them.
"An added bonus was to be locked up with such a nice group of local business people. It gave a rare opportunity to really spend time talking to people.
"The event raised well over £15,000 with gift aid which is truly amazing. It costs £12,000 per day for the charity to offer all the services it does to very sick children and their families, so we have spent today locked up to fund a day of services.
"I would like to thank the fundraising team of Helen and Douglas House for their energy and kindness throughout the day. They all do an incredible job.”
The medical and nursing staff provide care at the hospice, at home or at hospital, offering respite and discharge from hospital stays, pain management and end of life care.
The charity opened its doors in November 1982, when Sister Francis Dominica founded Helen House as the world’s first children’s hospice and has since gone on to inspire 54 others across the UK and around the world.
Ros Bowen from Helen & Douglas House said ‘I would like to thank all these wonderful members of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce and their networks who agreed to take part in our Jail & Bail fundraiser and the Milton Hill House Hotel for their lovely breakfast.
"I would also like to thank Oxford Castle and Prison for allowing our ‘inmates’ to be resident there for the day. Thank you to the Thames Valley Police for coming along to help make this fundraiser as realistic as possible by ‘arresting’ our participants and transporting them to Oxford Castle and Prison.
"The money that each ‘inmate’ raises will help local terminally ill children and their families make the most of the time they have together. This would not be possible without amazing supporters like these wonderful local businessmen and women taking part in this fundraiser."
In 2006 Queen Consort Camilla, then the Duchess of Cornwall, became the charity’s patron and in 2012, Helen & Douglas House was given the Queen’s award for volunteering to acknowledge the contribution of its volunteers.
A £1.5m refurbishment in 2014 transformed Helen House by reconfiguring the interior to make it larger, lighter and brighter and a new garden was completed in the summer of 2021, creating an outside area for families to spend special moments in.
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