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Bupa answers the call from Comic Relief
8 March 2007
Big hair, big fun, big noses, big cheques and a big effort by Bupa Health Insurance employees in Manchester - it must be Red Nose Day again. Comic Relief has called on Bupa’s call centre staff to rise to the challenge and help out and they have.
After the success of 2005, hundreds of volunteers from Bupa will once again be donning headsets and joining forces with Comic Relief. Over one million people are expected to call the official Comic Relief Donation line on 16 March and to cope with demand Bupa have lined up 200 volunteers to man some 80 ‘red-hot’ lines to take their donations.
In fact Manchester’s efforts are part of Bupa’s biggest-ever staff challenge with a further 200 volunteers in Staines also picking up the phones for Comic Relief. Bupa’s Red Nose Day volunteers expect to take thousands of calls in the five and a half hours the lines stay open, the climax of a whole week of fundraising. All the money raised will go towards the Comic Relief grand total that will help poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa to help themselves.
Some of the volunteers have never even worked in a call-centre before and have taken time out to train for the night – making sure that as many donations as possible can be taken. At the last Red Nose Day in 2005 the Bupa Health Insurance call centre at Salford Quays handled an impressive 4,000 calls and took over £100,000 in donations.
Catherine Prince, who has been directing Comic Relief operations in Bupa’s Salford Quays call centre, said: "People loved taking part in 2005 and this year is going to be no different. The interest has been phenomenal and we have been inundated with people wanting to volunteer. The atmosphere on the night is going to be buzzing – as will be the phones. What a chance for all of us to make a hands-on difference and keep that money rolling in for Comic Relief. It’s going to be a lot of fun as well."
It certainly should be. Big Red Noses and big fun will be the order of the night as will entertainment for the hundreds of volunteers. Bupa’s Manchester employees are also planning a big entertainment marathon as they line up Salford Quays to auction off a stay in a luxury Manchester hotel and flying lessons. Not one to be left out, The King will be making an appearance when an Elvis look-a-like kicks the evening off. He will be joined by a caricaturist and Bupa Health Insurance’s customer service and operations director, Oke Eleazu, who will be hosting a raffle, a tombola, and camel racing.
Fergus Kee, Bupa Health Insurance’s MD, said: "We are very excited about all the events taking place for Red Nose Day. The enthusiasm and hard work is inspiring and I’m sure we can make the day and evening a huge success."
In fact employees from all areas of Bupa will be donning Red Noses and raising money for Comic Relief and every pound collected will be matched by Bupa’s Community Connections. The Bupa Community Connections team was set up to give assistance and support to all the good work already being done by Bupa people in their communities and to encourage more people to get involved.
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