The Birmingham Assay Office raise £5k for Birmingham’s NHS Heroes
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The Birmingham Assay Office has raised and donated £5,000 to University Hospitals Birmingham Charity to support NHS heroes working on the frontlines.
UHB Charity supports workers across Queen Elizabeth, Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals who are working tirelessly to care for patients during this critical time of need.
In July 2020, the Birmingham Assay Office launched a special Rainbow Logo mark which could be applied to jewellery as an optional mark alongside the hallmark and date letter for 2020.
Jewellery retailers, hobbyists, jewellery manufacturers and members of the public supported the campaign by applying the Rainbow Logo to jewellery and watches throughout 2020. The logo cost £1 to apply and for every mark applied the Birmingham Assay Office donated 100% to University Hospitals Birmingham Charity.
Doug Henry, CEO and Assay Master said:
“We developed an idea which enabled us say ‘thank you to the NHS’ and to raise much needed funds for our local NHS Charity. We’d like to thank everyone who supported the initiative and help us raise funds to support NHS staff throughout the pandemic.”
Charlotte Schofield, Director of Fundraising at UHB Charity, said:
“Our hospitals have been the worst affected in the UK during the pandemic, and therefore our staff have faced more deaths than any other Trust. Our staff have worked tirelessly through the pandemic, and as they face the second wave of COVID-19 they need our support more than ever. This incredible donation from the Birmingham Assay Office will allow us to support our frontline staff, patients, their families and our local communities so that we can really make the difference that is needed.”
The Assay Office Birmingham, located in the Jewellery Quarter, was originally founded in 1773 to provide assaying (testing) and hallmarking of precious metal items as required by the Hallmarking Act. It has been a centre of expert opinion and independent assessment of jewellery and precious metals for 245 years. Today, it continues as a certification and educational institution providing hallmarking, wide-ranging educational courses, valuations through the SafeGuard business, metals testing through AnchorCert Analytical and diamond and synthetic diamond testing services through AnchorCert Gem Lab.
