Family of brave cancer victim Claire to open £11m building
THE family of a Liverpool girl who became the inspiration for a children’s hospice will officially open the £11m offices of a flourishing Merseyside business.
Claire Louise Cain died in 1989 just a few weeks short of her 10th birthday after a brave battle with cancer and gave her name to Claire House Children’s Hospice, which opened its doors in Wirral in December, 1998.
Now Birkenhead-based The Contact Company (TCC) has chosen Claire’s family to open its 48,00 sq ft Kingsgate Building and plant a time capsule to commemorate its own 10th anniversary.
It will form part of day of celebrations on May 12 at the fast-growing call centre business, which will also include a Brexit breakfast debate and a question and answer session with Liverpool and England legend John Barnes about the forthcoming 2016 European Championships.
Asif Hamid, the 47-year-old chief executive of The Contact Company, said the new building underlined TCC’s long-term commitment to the region and the open day was a chance to thank the local community and the workforce.
He said: “When we were deciding who should open our Kingsgate building we came up with lots of names before realising the solution was literally on our doorstep. Claire House Children’s Hospice is already our chosen charity for 2016 and the work they do in supporting the families of children who won’t live to be adults is humbling. That’s why they were our unanimous choice to cut the ribbon.”
Ex-footballer Barnes, who is a close friend of Hamid, will also be attending the opening along with leading names from the world of business, politics and sport. Hamid, who is also the vice chairman of Liverpool City Region LEP, said The Contact Company had enjoyed meteoric growth since he launched the business in 2006.
He said: “We already employ 1,500 people and expect that figure to grow to 2,500 by the end of the year. Opening Kingsgate is a hugely significant milestone in the company’s history.
It’s a purpose-built building on the waterfront and sends out a strong statement about our ambition as we target £40m turnover inside five years. This building includes everything from showers, a subsidised café and a picnic area for our colleagues to enjoy. We can accommodate up to 1,200 people here and already have 650 on site.”
Hamid, who is also the chairman of Wirral Chamber of Commerce, is a vocal supporter of the UK staying in the EU and will be taking part in a Brexit debate on the morning of May 12 with other business leaders.
“The last thing business needs is more uncertainty but if we leave the EU that’s exactly what we’ll get for a number of years,” he said. “We want stability and that’s why I’ll be voting to stay in the UK.”
