The inaugural Welsh National Finance Conference (WNFC), held in Cardiff City Hall, has raised £4,000 to be split between the Moebius Research Trust, Ty Hafan, Acorns Children’s Hospice and The Springboard Charity.
The WNFC was organised by a number of graduates currently on the Welsh Financial Services Graduate Programme, a pilot project involving GM Financial, Principality Building Society, Atradius, Admiral and Composite Legal Expenses and funded by Welsh Government.
Half of the money raised will go to the Moebius Research Trust. Moebius Syndrome is a rare congenital disorder affecting the nerves which control blinking, moving the eyes laterally and the ability to smile. It has no cure and receives no government funding for research. The Moebius Research Trust is currently trying to raise £250,000 to conduct research into a cure as well as raise awareness of this rare disorder which affects around 200 people in the UK.
£1,500 was donated to Tŷ Hafan, one of the UK’s leading hospices for life-limited children, and £250 each went to Acorns Children’s Hospice and The Springboard Charity. Acorns Children’s Hospice offers care to children and young people not expected to reach adulthood and The Springboard Charity helps nurture unemployed people into work through specialist advice, training and work experience.
Cerys Owen, project manager for the Welsh National Finance Conference, said: “We got so much out of organising the conference, both in terms of personal growth and future career prospects. It seemed like a good idea to pass that positivity on and use the event as an opportunity to raise some money for charity.
“There were so many good causes to choose from, but in the end we went with the four that were closest to our hearts.”
Anne Middleton, HR Manager at Atradius and a key player in the development of the Welsh Financial Services Graduate Programme, said: “The purpose of the graduate scheme is to equip young people with the skills and knowledge they need to flourish in the financial sector in Wales. As well as helping to share their experiences of working in the sector with their peer group in Wales, putting on the conference gave the graduates further experience in event management, raising sponsorship, budgeting, marketing and team work.
“We’re very proud of how well they’ve done, and the fact that they’ve managed to raise money for charity in the process is testament to what well-rounded young people they are.”
The key sponsors of the WNFC were Deloitte, Reed, the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI) and City of Cardiff Council. The conference was supported by over 30 financial services organisations including BBC Finance, ACCA, HSBC, Legal and General and Lloyds Banking Group.