We support Julia’s House; here’s why and how.

Here at QUBA, we strongly believe for society to thrive, we must all collaborate. Every person, every organisation, every business, has a responsibility towards society, the environment, and each other.

Throwback to 2017/2018… we made a conscious decision to support two charities: one local to our Headquarters in Dorset, Julia’s House Children’s Hospice and the other on a national scale, Surfers Against Sewage. To cement our commitment, we established a dedicated CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Team.

What better way to grasp the essence of our support than through the firsthand accounts of Julia’s House? So here it goes.

What is Julia’s House?

Julia’s House is your local children’s hospice, looking after the most seriously ill children in Wiltshire and Dorset. These children need 24 hour care for their complex and often rare medical conditions. Our dedicated team of nurses and carers are a lifeline of support, providing essential respite breaks to give exhausted families time out from round-the-clock care, helping to prevent them from reaching breaking point. QUBA are aiming to help this local charity raise £3,000 this year that will allow them to provide 2.5 days of play sessions at one of their hospices.

You can find out more about their amazing work over at Julia’s House – a word of caution: Have the tissues ready if you read their real-life stories.

QUBA is proud to be a business club member, donating regularly to this fantastic charity.

Why do we support Julia’s House?

Molly – Project Manager

“They are just a brilliant charity, and cause. Julia’s House only get 8 per cent funding from the government, which is low compared to other hospice charities, meaning they are very reliant on public fundraising. They have open days every so often and several people within the business have been to look around the hospice, meet the nurses and learn more about what they do.”

Ash – Director & Founder

“I met with Julia’s House many years ago, after explaining what they do, the help and support for both young children and their parents really did pull at the heart strings. We felt compelled to help and do what we could.”

How does QUBA’s support for Julia’s House reflect in our values?

Rik – Director & Founder

“We believe every person, every organisation, every business, has a responsibility towards society, the environment, and each other. It is only by helping others that we can hope to make a difference to society. We see it as our duty to lead from the front in this respect and that’s why each year we continue to support Julia’s House in their work supporting seriously ill children and their families in Dorset and Wiltshire.”

How do we support Julia’s House? How are employees encouraged to participate?

Ash – Director & Founder

“Julia’s House has open days at the hospice, their care team are brilliant, it gives them an opportunity to highlight and show exactly what they do and how crucial their help is to the families – it’s a real eye opener to anyone that visits. We support and encourage employees by paying up to one day’s (paid) leave per holiday year to participate in volunteering activities within the local community too.”

Hattie – Senior Customer Experience Consultant

“Pauline and I went to visit Julia’s House when we first started the partnership and they gave us a tour of the hospice and talked us through the care they provide. Whilst there we visited their end of life suite, it was absolutely heartbreaking, we both left in tears. Throughout the years we’ve carried out bake-offs (the most recent raising £165), the Jurassic Coast Walk – 26 miles! And various runs from 10ks to Marathons. We also took part in their Everest Expedition during the pandemic, where everyone logged miles via a Strava group for walking, running, and cycling.”

Alice – Senior Payroll Officer

‘I volunteered for Julia’s House at their Creekmoor warehouse as a QUBA volunteer day (paid day where staff can volunteer where they like). I helped to sort and organise donations for Julia’s House shops. We spent the morning cleaning and rearranging a part of the warehouse to make room for more shelving to hold more donations, and then in the afternoon we helped with the donated bags of clothing – we would grab a bin liner full of clothes, have a look at each item of clothing and if up to standard, would attach a price label and place in the relevant area (men’s clothing was on the left, women’s was on the right, there would then be different sections for summer or winter clothing, coats, shoes, accessories etc).’

Rob – Director & Founder

“We’ve done bake-offs, 26.2-mile walks, half marathons and as a business, we donate £100 every month. There have been some volunteer opportunities, but these have been more in their shops or warehouse; nursing is a little too specialised.”

Are there any upcoming projects you know of for Julia’s House?

Annie – Marketing Manager

“Some of our team are volunteering for the upcoming MSP Volleyball tournament on Bournemouth beach. It should be a fantastic day – we’re really looking forward to it!”

If you’d like to speak to a QUBA representative about a charity initiative, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!