Hilary Devey, Pall-Ex’s multi award winning founder, owner and CEO, has always believed passionately in Corporate Social Responsibility. Protecting the environment, supporting worthy causes and helping with local community projects are therefore all at the heart of Pall-Ex’s values.
Hilary dedicates much of her time to charitable causes, helping to raise both funds and all important profile. For many years, Pall-Ex has operated a “Penny-a-Pallet” scheme that resulted in regular, reliable funding to Transaid, which provides transport solutions for developing countries.
The Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Hilary now spends much of her time working as a trustee and patron for a number of charities, in particular for The Princess Royal Trust for Carers. The Penny-a-Pallet scheme now helps the trust to fund its 133 independently-managed Carers’ Centres, which cater for a total of more than 310,000 carers throughout the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. Amazingly, some 15,000 of these are children, with an average age of just 12. Support offered by the trust consists of support groups at centres, respite day care clubs, training in cookery, managing finances, etc, home visits, funding for essential items such as washing machines. Pall-Ex staff and network members encouraged to support Hilary’s chosen charitable causes, by holding fund raising events and offering practical support, such as befriending carers.
Young Enterprise
For some years, Pall-Ex is proud to have been a patron of the nationwide Young Enterprise organisation, aimed at encouraging business innovation in young people and helping them to better understand the day to day operations of industry and commerce. Pall-Ex has supported the scheme not only with much needed funding, but also, again, in practical terms. Pall-Ex staff frequently assist with teaching extra curricular activities at local schools and colleges, and join competition judging panels.
Local good causes benefit from Hilary’s generosity
Not content with the above, Hilary continues to offer her help and support to many other worthy causes. She was determined that Pall-Ex, as a major local employer, should also be seen as supporting local people. So much so, that she donates substantial sums to schools and other organisations in the vicinity of the Pall-Ex hub. These donations have helped to fund projects such as refurbishments, libraries and health and safety requirements.
Hilary - our own Secret Millionaire!
In September and December 2008, Hilary was featured on Channel 4’s The Secret Millionaire programme. The show sees millionaires leaving behind their luxury lives, taking on secret identities and living undercover in deprived areas for ten days alongside locals, to find individuals and projects that they think deserve a cut of their fortune. She discovered a number of worthwhile projects including Syke - a local community centre that had hit a severe funding crisis and Back Door - an innovative music project keeping kids off the street. Her significant financial donations and offers of practical support have resulted in these projects being able to survive and flourish.
The Back Door Music Project
Indeed, Hilary is currently proceeding to replicate the success of the Back Door Music Project on a nationwide basis, beginning with Pall-Ex’s home county of Leicestershire. To help her in this major venture, she has formed a new charitable company limited by guarantee, and recruited high profile celebrities from the music sector as directors. Hilary has received offers of premises, together with both financial and practical assistance from all over the UK. Fund raising projects are underway, and corporate sponsors are being sought.
Send-A-Star!
Hilary’s latest business venture, Send-A-Star, promises to be the most exciting advancement in sending greetings since the first greeting card was printed! It enables mobile phone users to send celebrity greetings to other mobiles, and is set to take the market by storm. Hilary has pledged that a donation from each greeting fee will be made to her Back Door Music Project.