EMPLOYEES at Yorkshire family business, Bettys & Taylors, have raised over £86,760 for eight Yorkshire charities. Matched pound for pound by the business, this results in £173,520 being donated to good causes.

Staff from across the company nominate charities close to their hearts on an annual basis. This year the eight charities supported by the six Bettys Café Tea Rooms, Craft Bakery, Cookery School and Taylors of Harrogate included: Mind, Harrogate; Talk Outside of the Scrum (TOOTS); Leeds Cares; York Against Cancer; Martin House Hospice; Carers’ Resource, Young Carers; Ward 31, Leeds General Infirmary and Open Country.

Bettys Café Tea Rooms in Ilkley raised £2,693 for Talk Outside of the Scrum (TOOTS), a charity which provides support and counselling to rugby players who have issues with their mental health. Funds have been raised through bingo nights and a Harry Potter night, as well as staff taking part in a number of running events.

James Griffin, chairman and founder of TOOTS, said: “On behalf of the trustees and everyone that benefits from Talk Outside of the Scrum, we would like to thank everyone for their very generous donations and hard work, resulting in this fantastic amount of money. This will be going directly towards the free counselling service we are raising the funds for to try and help as many people struggling with their mental health as possible. We will continue with our work for as long as people out there need us to.”