Penny Black’s Social Diary: Zurich’s fundraiser; Fortnum & Mason’s pudding

Loving Lucy

I’m frequently reminded through this column how willing the insurance industry is to show up for each other when it matters. 

Tracy Dickerson, head of external communications at Zurich UK, recently shared an urgent fundraising appeal for Graham Shankland, a business analyst at Zurich, and his family.

Their 11-year-old daughter Lucy collapsed on a school trip in May 2025 and woke up paralysed from the shoulders down. 

Doctors discovered she was born with an extremely rare spinal condition called an Arteriovenous Malformation, which affects just five to 10 people per million annually. 

After months of intensive rehabilitation where Lucy relearned how to breathe, sit, stand and walk, the family received devastating news at Christmas: a new aneurysm has formed and could rupture at any time.

Surgery in the UK is considered too risky, but a specialist surgeon in Arizona believes he can help. The family needs to raise £350,000 for the life-saving treatment, and they’re racing against time. The GoFundMe page has raised more than £86,000 so far, but there’s still a long way to go.

It’s a reminder that behind every employee ID and email signature is a real person, sometimes facing unimaginable challenges. 

If you can help, the fundraiser is called “Loving Lucy” on GoFundMe.

Penny’s Lunch Box

Zurich’s trade press dinner at Fortnum & Mason featured sticky toffee pudding that I was apparently too excited to photograph before taking a bite. My apologies for the lack of journalistic discipline, but in my defence, it’s sticky toffee pudding at Fortnum & Mason.

The pudding was exactly as indulgent as you’d expect with a perfect ratio of cake to sauce, which didn't stop me from drenching it in an ocean of cream once this picture was taken.

Five stars, even with the bite taken out of it... or possibly because of the bite taken out of it.