Friend donates to Birmingham Children’s Hospital

The neurology department of Birmingham Children’s Hospital has been given a financial boost thanks to the generosity of local business and financial advisers Friend Partnership Limited.

The firm has made a four-figure financial donation in memory of the work of Dr Stuart Green, the former head of Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s neurology department. The neurology team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital provides a specialist service for the diagnosis and treatment of children from new-borns up to age 16 who have neurological disorders, including epilepsy, neurometabolic and neurogenetic disorders and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Friend pledged the donation when it launched its ground-breaking study into the challenges facing women in business last year.

Denise Friend, founder and partner at Brindleyplace-based Friend, explains:

“When we launched the research, we committed to make a donation for each completed survey response.

“Interest and participation in the research quickly grew, and when the survey closed, almost 800 women had taken part.

“I am delighted that the research has not only stuck a chord with so many women of different ages and professions, but also that the firm has been able to make a donation to our city’s wonderful, internationally renowned Children’s Hospital.”

Saranne Moreno, Corporate Strategic Partnerships Manager at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity added:

“We’re so grateful to Denise and Friend Partnership for using the Women in Business survey and report as a way to fundraise for us. Charitable donations from our local community and organisations like Friend Partnership are truly invaluable, as they allow us to make a huge difference to the lives of our brave children and their families by improving their hospital experience.”

Friend Partnership commissioned the research, entitled ‘Women in Business – can we truly have it all?’ to investigate how the landscape for working women has changed over recent generations and understand the difficulties faced by both women in the workplace and the businesses looking to hire skilled female employees.

Denise Friend led the research study with support from Sarah Evans OBE, an educational commentator and former Principal of Birmingham’s King Edward VI High School for Girls. Additional support was given by a number of national and Midlands organisations including Page Group, NatWest and the Women and Work All Party Parliamentary Group.

Commenting on the donation, Denise Friend said:

“The work carried out by the devoted staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital is invaluable, and it is a cause very close to our hearts at Friend. I am delighted that, through the Women in Business research, we donated funds that will help to support the children and families under the care of the Hospital and in our local community.”

Amongst its findings, the Women in Business research revealed that paid leave for new parents is a financial and operational challenge for 90 percent of UK SMEs, and that working women still battle a number of personal issues such as self-doubt, imposter syndrome and pressure to be ‘perfect,’ and struggle to feel they truly achieve the balance of career and family.

Click here to view or download the report in full.