Hermes priotitises staff development whilst raising funds for The Prince's Trust

Employees from Hermes, the consumer delivery specialist, are being encouraged to channel their entrepreneurial spirit to raise vital funds for the UK’s leading youth charity, The Prince’s Trust. 32 employees are taking part in Million Makers, the charity’s national fundraising challenge, as part of Hermes UK’s internal leadership and development programme.

Million Makers sees teams from various companies across the UK compete to raise at least £10,000 for over a period of six months, from a starting pot of £1,500. The initial donation is made by The Prince’s Trust, who in return receives all of the proceeds from each project. Three teams from Hermes have already pitched their business ideas and commenced fundraising, which will run until the end of the year. Participants will also be invited to a special regional awards ceremony early next year.

Projects currently being finalised and used to raise money include creating a children’s book, livery advertising on Hermes’ national fleet, the Total Warrior challenge, sweepstakes, an old PCs sale, quiz night auctions and the installation of high end coffee machines on a number of Hermes sites. The teams will also be taking on a number of personal fundraising activities to ensure that they meet their targets.

Hermes was keen for employees to take time away from their daily schedules to participate in the event to build essential business skills, as well as enabling them to work alongside colleagues from different departments.

The Hermes team will add to the funds raised by the Million Makers initiative, now in its tenth year, which has to date raised more than £10m for The Trust. The Prince’s Trust helps young people to develop the confidence and skills they need to realise their ambitions, so that they can live, learn and earn.

"We are committed to making sure that our employees can reach their full potential at Hermes, so we’re really excited to be able to support the Million Makers programme in partnership with The Prince’s Trust. This is an incredible opportunity for our employees to take part in proven learning and development activities that will help to develop their business skills whilst supporting such a worthy cause."

Jill Maples, HR Director at Hermes

"The Prince’s Trust is thrilled to have Hermes participating in Million Makers for its tenth anniversary year. We are proud to deliver a challenge which provides action based learning and development benefits for those involved. Teams across the UK are utilising their business acumen, team work and passion to raise life changing funds that will transform young lives."

Claire Quigley, Senior Head of Employee Fundraising at The Prince’s Trust