Almac extends helping hand to local charities

Craigavon-based company Almac has made donations totalling £12,500 to charities which help local people who are terminally ill.

The money was raised at the pharmaceutical development company’s annual ‘Event in the Tent’, which sees a giant marquee erected at its headquarters to hold a social event recognising staff’s achievements and successes.

This year it was attended by a record 1,300 staff who bought ballot tickets to win prizes, with all proceeds going to the local charities.

This year’s beneficiaries were Marie Curie Cancer Care and the Northern Ireland Hospice.

The Marie Curie Nursing Service makes it possible for people with terminal illnesses who want to be cared for at home at the end of their lives to have that choice.

Northern Ireland Hospice provides respite and end-of-life care for children, young people and adults with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions such as cancer, heart disease, muscular dystrophy and neurological conditions.

Ciara Gallagher, fundraising manager, Marie Curie, said: “We spend the money we raise locally on providing end of life care for patients with cancer and other terminal illnesses in the community and at the Marie Curie Hospice, Belfast.

“Throughout Northern Ireland Marie Curie nurses work in the community providing care, totally free for patients in their own homes and last year cared for 1,613 patients. For every £20 we raise the charity can provide one hour of nursing care.

“The money raised by Almac will fund over 300 hours of nursing care in the Southern Area which covers Craigavon, Portadown, Lurgan and Dungannon.”

Receiving the cheque on behalf of Northern Ireland Hospice, Evelyn Uprichard, Hospice Nurse Specialist, said:  “We are delighted to receive this very generous donation from Almac.  It will make such a difference to the 3,000 local children, young people and adults with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition that we help each year.

“Every year Northern Ireland Hospice has to raise over £5.5 million through voluntary donations to provide our specialist nursing care in the home and in hospice, and we could not do this without the continued support of local businesses like Almac.”

Alan Armstrong, CEO of the Almac Group, said: “Our annual ‘Event in the Tent’ which has been running for seven years always has a strong charity angle which is well-supported by our staff.

“Since 2006 we have raised well over £50,000 for a wide range of local charities including the Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke Association, NI Cancer Fund for Children, Belfast City Hospital, Southern Area Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Fund. Our sincere thanks go to our many suppliers for the kind generosity in once again supplying the prizes for the draw.

“The event is our way of recognising the efforts of our team and we are so pleased that the money raised will go towards caring for people who are terminally ill.”

Notes to Editors

About Almac

The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and IXRS^® technology (IVRS/IWRS), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.

The company employs over 3,300 individuals and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California. Almac has now moved into its new North American Headquarters located in Souderton PA.

For more information about Almac contact Jane Wells or Andrea Clements at JPR on 028 9076 0066.