Original target beaten to help BUMBLEance with its growth strategy.
Flutter UKI matches target of €125k, equivalent to the cost of an ambulance for the children’s charity.
Flutter hosted its first Charity Ball in Dublin last week and smashed its target, raising over €270,000 for BUMBLEance, the children’s Ambulance Service of Ireland, more than equivalent to the cost of two ambulances for the charity. The funds raised will support the charity’s growth strategy and, as announced by Ian Brown, CEO at Flutter UKI, included a donation of €125k from Flutter.
A first of its kind service, BUMBLEance is a non-profit organisation that provides safe and comfortable medical transport for Ireland’s youngest patients between home and hospital. The ambulances are designed to reduce financial hardship on families and are kitted out with TVs, a PlayStation, iPad Air, music, DVDs and books to reduce stress for children during difficult journeys.
Guests at the event held in The Round Room at Dublin’s Mansion House heard heartfelt stories from parents about the difference the charity has made as well as details about how BUMBLEance would like to run more than the present 2,000 trips per year from the current fleet of 14 ambulances.
Hosted by Irish stand-up comedian, Deidre O’Kane, and Paddy Power himself, with over 400 in attendance, the event was a smash hit – including fundraising through a raffle and silent auction, magicians, and The Dodder Dash race between nine mascots. Attendees also heard speeches from the team at BUMBLEance, Ian Brown and Flutter CLO and Group Commercial Director, Pádraig Ó Ríordáin.
Prizes that were up for grabs included Rugby World Cup tickets to Ireland vs. Scotland in France, a signed jersey from Max Verstappen, Ronaldo and Rivaldo signed jerseys, and football boots signed by Neymar Jr.
The Charity Ball forms part of Flutter’s larger global pledge to Do More for its communities as part of its worldwide sustainability strategy, the Positive Impact Plan. The goal of Do More is to improve the lives of 10 million people by 2030, which is made possible by Flutter’s scale and the collective passion of its colleagues. Flutter’s next Charity Ball is due to be held in Leeds on 22nd November.
Anna Earley, Corporate Partnership Manager, at BUMBLEance said: “Flutter’s Charity Ball was such a unique event for us at BUMBLEance and we received our largest donation in one day from Flutter Entertainment. The whole team were in shock at the success of the event - we can now concentrate on our progressive and transformative plans for reaching even more children across the Island of Ireland.
“In line with our current strategy, this donation can support driving awareness of BUMBLEance, benefitting our next moves to set-up satellite services regionally across Ireland, expanding into Northern Ireland where one in four children live in poverty and struggle to reach their appointments, and review our fleet of ambulances. This event has fast tracked our efforts to grow and to ensure every child has access to their healthcare treatment. What an amazing gift from the team at Flutter.”
Pádraig Ó Ríordáin, CLO and Group Commercial Director at Flutter, said: “Last week’s Charity Ball held in Dublin in aid of BUMBLEance was a fantastic success. It was a pleasure to take part in fundraising for this wonderful charity which provides an essential service for young hospital patients in Ireland.
“We are grateful for the generosity of attendees and donors who collectively helped us to more than double our original fundraising target. The success of this event is testament to the positive impact Flutter can have on its communities and I am looking forward to seeing more of these events take place under the banner of the Do More pillar of our Positive Impact Plan.”
About BUMBLEance:
A first of its kind service, BUMBLEance is a non-profit organisation that provides safe and comfortable travel to Ireland’s youngest patients between home and hospital. It operates nearly 2,000 trips per year with their current 14 ambulances. It is an incredible charity that Flutter is delighted to support. More details on the charity can be found at: https://www.bumbleance.com/.
About Flutter Entertainment plc:
Flutter is the world’s leading online sports betting and iGaming operator. Our ambition is to leverage our significant scale as well as our challenger mindset to change our industry for the better. By Changing the Game, we believe we can deliver long-term growth while promoting a positive, sustainable future for all our stakeholders. We are well-placed to do so through the distinctive, global competitive advantages of the Flutter Edge, which gives our brands access to group-wide benefits to stay ahead of the competition, as well as our clear vision for sustainability through our Positive Impact Plan.
The Group consists of a diverse portfolio of leading recreational brands and products with a broad global reach. We operate some of the world’s most innovative, diverse and distinctive online sports betting and iGaming brands such as FanDuel, Sky Betting & Gaming, Sportsbet, PokerStars, Paddy Power, Sisal, Tombola, Betfair, TVG, Junglee Games and Adjarabet. We are the industry leader with 10.2 million AMPs and £7.7 billion of revenue globally for fiscal 2022, and 12.3 million AMPs and £4.8 billion of revenue globally for the six months ended June 30, 2023.
For further information, please contact corporatemedia@flutter.com
Sign up to email alerts here.
