It almost goes without saying that 2020 has been a year like no other, and we’re sure when we look back it’ll always be remembered for the Coronavirus pandemic – but we wanted to ensure we didn’t forget the good things which we’ve all got to be grateful for, so we’ve been looking back through the past 12 months to bring you Paycare’s 2020 Review.
Whether it was sponsoring awards or football teams, donating to charities around the corner or those further afield, or launching new wellbeing packages and new virtual training to help businesses look after their staff, it has been a busy year – even if our beloved Paycare House has been quieter than normal while many of us have adapted to the safety of remote working.
We’d love to hear from our Policyholders, Members and Partners about your highlights of the year and things you’re grateful for, in a bid to spread a little festive cheer, but for now here is Paycare’s 2020 Review… 🌟
🏆 Awards:
We were delighted to start the year off by sponsoring not one but two categories at the Express & Star’s Heroes Awards – and our very own Commercial Director Anthony Burns was able to present them too, giving out the Ambassador of the Year and Hero of the NHS trophies. It was a little quieter than most years as the format of celebrations and events were adapted to keep us all safe as the Covid crisis evolved – we were grateful to still be able to sponsor the Service to the Community category at the Shropshire Chamber Champion Awards back in the summer, and the Best Small Business accolade at the more recent Virtual Business Awardsalso hosted by Shropshire Chamber of Commerce.
🙌 Sponsorship:
Talking of sponsorship, we’ve also been continuing our long-standing support for football clubs near and far. This year, we became the main and front-of-shirt sponsors for Motherwell FC (as well as teaming up to support the Scottish Association for Mental Health), announced a two-year sponsorship of the Bilston Town Football Club kits, and extended our sponsorship of Darlaston Town (1874) FC for another three years.
We’ve also sponsored the hampers which form part of the Nant Ltd #WeCare Campaign, and a day in the Compton Care Advent Calendar 2020!
🌟 New offerings:
We totally revamped our MyPocketGP app earlier this year to make it even better to use for GP appointments round-the-clock (and were thrilled when provider Medical Solutions was recognised as the best virtual GP service in the industry!); and we also launched our Bundle Wellbeing Package, which includes MyPocketGP as well as MyHelpline and Paycare Perks.
As if that wasn’t enough, our Wellbeing team has been busy running free monthly e-clinics and launching virtual mental health courses to complement our pre-pandemic face-to-face offering. Our monthly corporate customer newsletters (MyPeople News) began landing in inboxes in 2020, and there was tonnes of blog content – with top tips on everything from banishing migraines and sleeping better, to ideas on staying active during lockdown and ways to de-stress.
We were even lucky enough to feature guest blogs from the likes of lifestyle intervention consultant Laura Butler and the Beacon Centre, to share their wonderful knowledge on key topics to support our lovely readers.
Plus, our lucky Policyholders had the chance to relax, unwind and get their hands on some luxurious discounted goodies not once but twice, after we formed a partnership with the wonderful team at Molton Brown which saw exclusive offers up for grabs in May and October.
🙏🧡 Community:
Giving back to the community is at the heart of everything we do at Paycare, and while volunteering has been tricky with the Covid-19 restrictions in place for much of the year, we have done our best to help out where we can. We reached out to charities for Random Acts of Kindness Day and then wore purple for International Women’s Day (which thankfully happened just before lockdown) in aid of The Haven – we also continued our sponsorship of their live chat, which sadly became even more essential during 2020.
We shared the love among the Paycare team for Employee Appreciation Day, and helped reduce period poverty by distributing sanitary products intended for the Molineux toilets to local charities while the stadium was closed to fans. In November, we launched a public vote to share out our MyGiving charity donations, and we also joined forces with WCR FM for a competition to win theatre tickets.
Paycare joined Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce to help support businesses in both counties, and we celebrated the first anniversary of Black Country Chamber of Commerce staff being Paycare Policyholders.
🤝 All in it together:
Most of all, when we look back at this year, we’d like to remember how we pulled together as a team more than ever, despite all that was going on in the world. We may have spent most of the year working separately in our own homes, but the Paycare spirit has remained – we have all supported each other, as well as our Policyholders and the wider community.
We’ve been focused on health and wellbeing since Paycare launched as the Patient’s Aid Association back in 1874, but this year has really brought to the forefront just how important those two things are in life!
Wow, what a year we’ve had! We hope you’ve enjoyed Paycare’s 2020 Review. Here is to our ever-present team spirit, our passion for the community, and ongoing focus on health and wellbeing throughout 2021 and beyond…
The Paycare team would love to say a HUGE thank you, to each and every one of you. Wishing our lovely Policyholders, People, Partners, Customers, Community, and Suppliers (phew, there’s a lot of you!) a very healthy and happy Christmas and a warm welcome into the New Year 🌟
You’re at the heart of everything we do ❤
You can see our full collection of 2020 achievements and memories by clicking on the image below 😊