Category Archives: Charity & CSR

Charity & CSR, Construction, Construction News, News, South East

Chichester builders merchant supports homeless charity with funding

The Chichester depot of Covers Timber & Builders Merchants has donated £4,500 to Stonepillow, helping the local charity replace flooring in its Chichester hostel.

Formed in 1989, the charity supports and empowers homeless people across West Sussex by offering a complete recovery journey that focuses on improving health and wellbeing. It provides community outreach services to support rough sleepers, residential services to help people gain stability within the community, supported accommodation for those recovering from homelessness, and a residential community-based abstinence service for people recovering from substance misuse.

Stonepillow’s Chichester hostel has 11 individual bedrooms, bathrooms and a communal area. The charity relies on donations and funding, and received a grant to help with renovations, but needed further funds to enable the flooring in all bedrooms and the communal lounge to be replaced.

Hilary Bartle, CEO of Stonepillow, commented:

“We want to recognise the support that Covers has provided not only to Stonepillow, but also the wider community, over many years. We are deeply grateful to all that Covers and the Green family do to support Stonepillow and our community and for helping so rapidly on this occasion.”

Rupert Green, Chairman of Covers, added:

“We have helped Stonepillow support some of the most vulnerable in our community for many years by providing materials along with large cash donations. We were delighted to step in again to help replace flooring in the hostel, it looks great.”

Charity & CSR, Charity News, Midlands News, News, Northants

Silverstone Soccer hat trick raises record amount for hospice

Three was the magic number for Silverstone Fleet Management at their third annual five-a-side football fundraiser, which raised a record £3,231 for Cynthia Spencer Hospice.

Businesses from across Northamptonshire donned their football boots for the hattrick event at Daventry Football Club, which saw 10 teams compete for the much-coveted winner’s title.

Euro Building and Maintenance Contractors scooped the title and the trophy after an impressive pitch performance, with Ox Seven Talent Partners taking the runners up position and their goalkeeper being named player of the tournament.

The popular football fundraiser, which has become a much-loved yearly calendar entry, is the brainchild of Ryan Bishop, sales manager at Silverstone Fleet Management.

The self-confessed football fanatic decided to use his local business contacts and love of football to raise much needed funds for the hospice for the first time at the beginning of 2020.

Ryan was delighted by the incredible response from the Northamptonshire business community and the impressive amount of money raised, which motivated him to make it an annual event.

The first event raised over £1,000 and the fundraising target has climbed each year since, with a staggering total of more than £3,000 in the most recent tournament, which was sponsored by Wilson Browne Solicitors.

Some teams, such as YMD Boon, have played in all three events.

The vehicle leasing company’s nominated charity of the year, Cynthia Spencer Hospice, are hugely grateful for the invaluable support.

Nina Gandy, corporate partnerships fundraiser at Cynthia Spencer Hospice, said: “Silverstone Soccer has not only been a great event which has raised a fantastic amount for the hospice over the last three years, it has also seen a range of businesses get involved from across the county and further afield.

“We are so grateful to Silverstone Fleet Management for organising this event and encouraging support from the business community. Many teams return year on year to play in the tournament which is great to see but what tops this off is having new teams turn up, get stuck in and network with other businesses.

“It’s fantastic how the event has gone from strength to strength and we thank Scott, his team and everyone who has supported it. Together they have all made such a huge difference to our patients and their families.”

Ryan said: “It is our absolute pleasure to be able to raise much needed cash for the fantastic Cynthia Spencer Hospice. The tireless work they do really makes a huge difference to so many local families who are facing heartbreakingly tough times.

“Our Silverstone Soccer event has now raised more than £5000 over the past three years through a fun football fundraiser which is both a joy to organise and participate in. It was great to get everyone together to network and have fun.

“Thank you to everyone who came along to the event and dug deep in their pockets to donate and to our sponsors Wilson Browne Solicitors. I am over the moon that we’ve again managed to smash our fundraising target and collect such an impressive donation for the hospice.”

 

For more information on Silverstone Fleet Management, contact 0800 6127184 or visit www.silverstonefleetmanagement.com. To find out more about Cynthia Spencer Hospice, see www.cynthiaspencer.org.uk.

Charity & CSR, News, Software, Technology

IRIS Software Group to give charities and not-for-profits headspace to boost donations

IRIS Software Group (IRIS), one of the UK’s largest software companies, today launches IRIS Financials for Charities, a powerful new cloud-based tool, designed to save charities and not-for-profits time, money and energy so they can focus on what counts – ensuring funding makes the biggest impact.

IRIS Financials for Charities brings together all the elements and functionality charities and not-for-profits need to manage finances into one, integrated system. It’s designed specifically to make charity finance simple.

The cloud-based platform enables charities and not-for-profits to access their finances anywhere, anytime, giving a modern, digital connected experience to charity professionals. With bespoke reporting, speedy implementation and seamless compatibility, IRIS Financials for Charities will save charity professionals hours of admin and effort.

Through automated workflows – such as Gift aid calculations – the platform gives charity professionals complete control, so they can spend more time driving impactful change. IRIS Financials for Charities also offers a multi-currency feature, enabling more charities and not-for-profits to reach global donors, ultimately increasing funds.

Charities and not-for-profits are being squeezed by the cost-of-living crisis. More people are seeking support but donations are falling – 57% of people in the UK donated or sponsored someone in 2021, compared to 62% in 2020 and 65% in 2019.

The charity sector is vital in helping communities, especially as inflation rises. With fewer people able to donate, charity professionals need tools that’ll give them with time to focus efforts on raising awareness to increase donations, easily comply with regulations, drive productivity and improve engagement with key contributors.

Real-time insight can be accessed anywhere via the cloud and allows charity professionals to accurately manage finances – including payroll, donations and fundraising, and operational costs. With 827,000 people employed in the sector in the UK, IRIS Financials for Charities gives charities and not-for-profits the headspace they need to ensure staff are paid on time, every time and in real-time by sitting at the heart of software eco-systems.

Simon Freeman, MD for Education at IRIS Software Group comments, “Charities and not-for-profits benefit us all – they connect us and provide support where there is nowhere else to turn.  However, with declining donations, as well as the rise of those struggling and in need, it’s clear they require value added support that can ease some of their biggest challenges – including simplifying complex tasks and automating repetitive ones which can be incredibly time consuming.

“IRIS Financials for Charities gives charities and not-for-profits peace of mind that everything is being handled properly, professionally and with their best interests at heart.”

IRIS Financials for Charities is available to buy today, and you can book a one-to-one product demo on the IRIS website.

Charity & CSR, Charity Events, Construction, Construction News, News, South West, Sport

Earthstone Construction takes on parent group Stonewood on football pitch to aid cancer charity

WORKERS from Wiltshire construction company Stonewood Group swapped bricks for kicks in aid of a cancer charity when they took to the football pitch for a fundraising match.

A team from groundworking division Earthstone Construction took on a combined team made up of workers from Stonewood Builders, Stonewood Partnerships and Stonewood Homes to raise £1,200 for the Ben Saunders Foundation, a charity that runs holiday homes for young people with cancer

It was set up by 18-year-old Bath City academy footballer Ben Saunders, the son of former Chippenham Town and Calne Town manager Tommy Saunders, just before he died from cancer in August 2020.

Earthstone Construction Director Shane Andrews, who played for Mr Saunders at Chippenham Town, said: “We wanted to do something for the charity and had played a game before lockdown so it seemed the right time to do it again. It’s a brilliant cause and Tommy has done a fantastic job with it.”

The charity, which has so far raised more than £375,000, owns and operates two holiday lodges near Cirencester to give young people undergoing treatment some respite. It has hosted 115 families in two years and will open a third lodge in September.

Mr Andrews added: “We had great support from Stonewood Group as well from Marshfield FC, who gave us use of their ground for free, Melksham Town, who supplied the footballs, Hayden Hubbard who refereed the game and clients Alide Hire, Kellaway Building Supplies, CLB Hire, Marches Precast and Keyline (Bristol and Swindon) who donated.”

The game ended in a 6-1 victory for Stonewood Builders. “They were a bit younger and fitter than us but it was a good game,” said Mr Andrews, who managed the Earthstone team but was unable to play after injuring his calf while playing for Yate Town against a Manchester United legends team recently.

The Stonewood team, led by Stonewood Homes Managing Director Joe Bergson, had to thank man of the match goalkeeper Mark Maidment for keeping them in the game at times. The teams played for the Tom Andrews Trophy, named after Mr Andrews’ grandfather who was a former chairman of the club. “It was really good of the club to let us play for the trophy,” he said.

Stonewood Group Chief Executive Officer Matt Aitkenhead, whose father Neill founded the firm 50 years ago this year, was among the 70 spectators made up of family and friends. He said: “Sport is a common theme that runs through the group because a many of us met through it and the values of good sportsmanship and teamwork are important to us.

“It’s great that sport on this occasion was a chance to bring staff and families together and raise money for a wonderful cause that makes a real difference to young people.”

The company provided a barbecue for players and spectators after the game. “It was a great evening,” said Mr Andrews. “Everyone enjoyed the game and the food and drinks after. It was a really good chance to continue building our teamwork and raise money at the same time.

“It was really encouraging that we had 35 players taking part and it meant we could have rolling substitutes. We would love to make this an annual event with more teams from the group so that we can raise even more money.”

Mr Saunders said: “Huge thanks to Shane Andrews and everyone connected to Stonewood and Earthstone, every penny raised goes to support young people with cancer and bereaved parents. Stonewood’s Matt Aitkenhead and [Chief Operating Officer] Ben Lang have been friends of mine for 30 years and it is lovely they have been able to support us.”

Find out more about the Ben Saunders Foundation at bensaundersfoundation.org.

Pictured: The Earthstone Construction team who took part in the Stonewood Group fundraising match at Marshfield FC

Charity & CSR, News

SASC invests £380k in charity, One Small Thing to develop accommodation in Hampshire for women involved in the justice system

One Small Thing, a charity dedicated to redesigning the justice system for women and their children, has received a social investment loan of £380k from Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC).

The loan, from SASC’s Community Investment Fund, is enabling the charity to develop five self-contained flats in Southampton, to provide the first move on accommodation for women from One Small Thing’s pioneering Hope Street project, plus a large restorative outdoor space. The charity will also provide education, work activities, training opportunities and trauma informed support for women who enter the justice system.

One Small Thing, founded and led by prison philanthropist Lady Edwina Grosvenor[i], is currently building Hope Street, a purpose-built residential community across Hampshire to provide support services to women in a holistic environment conducive to healing trauma as well as sustaining long term positive change.

Hope Street will enable women to meet the requirements of their community sentence in a safe and nurturing environment, where their children can live with them and they can receive the therapy, treatment and support they need.

The Hope Street Hub – due to complete in Spring 2023 – supports the thinking behind the 2018 Female Offender Strategy[ii], which has a strong focus on community-based solutions.

The number of women sent to prison is disproportionately high for minor offences: only one in five women will have committed a violent offence compared to one in three in the general prison population[iii].

Most women in prison have experienced trauma in their lives: seven in ten have suffered domestic violence and over half have experienced emotional, physical or sexual abuse during childhood. 67% of women in prison reported that they had a mental health problem, and many experience unemployment or homelessness on release.

Of the 877 women arrested in Hampshire between 1st November 2018 and 31st October 2019, 33% were from Southampton. Women from Southampton who receive a custodial sentence are sent out of area, often more than 60 miles away from their home, making it very difficult for their families to visit them[iv].

 

Claire Hubbertsey, Chief Executive of One Small Thing said, “We are hugely grateful for the commitment of SASC to social justice and the support they are providing to us through the Community Investment Fund.

Their vision and commitment will enable us to create a restorative environment that will enable women to thrive and access vital services, without the added trauma of being separated from their children.”

 

Ben Rick, Co-Founder and CEO of SASC said, “One Small Thing’s Hope Street has been designed for women and with women and is the culmination of significant research and consultation. The loan will enable them to offer the much needed first move on accommodation for women from Hope Street which will enable them to continue to positively impact their life outcomes.”

 

For more information on One Small Thing visit: www.onesmallthing.org.uk

For more information on SASC visit: www.socialandsustainable.com

—

References

[i] https://onesmallthing.org.uk/board-of-trustees/edwina-grosvenor

[ii] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/female-offender-strategy

[iii] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2920c1a9e028ee9c2eb7b5/t/5f75dac80dd0c87c41a511e8/1601559241068/Hope+Street+Succesful+Planning+Application+statement+FINAL.pdf

[iv] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b2920c1a9e028ee9c2eb7b5/t/5f75dac80dd0c87c41a511e8/1601559241068/Hope+Street+Succesful+Planning+Application+statement+FINAL.pdf

Charity & CSR, Finance and Banking, News

Collaborative working made simple – the benefits of joint approach by charities

Ross Palmer, Senior Tax Manager, Sayer Vincent, considers the benefits of collaborative working for charities

Given the challenging economic environment, it is good practice for charities to regularly question the status quo and discuss alternative structures.

One option increasingly on the boardroom agenda is collaborative working – how to do it well, what it might entail, and the key considerations, benefits and risks involved.

Given the fact The Charity Commission encourages charities to consider and imagine what more they can achieve for beneficiaries by working with others, one of our latest webinars was on this hot topic.

Some of the benefits of working more closely with others or through joint ventures are the ability to deliver greater impact and the potential cost and resources savings and economies of scale that can be achieved through sharing management and support functions.

But charities need to think carefully before they embark on any collaboration. There are some key challenges including operational, reputational, and financial which must be addressed.

Our webinar provided a flavour of these, looking at some of the structural options commonly used and the issues charities need to think about from a VAT and trading perspective.

 

Why collaborate?

For many charities, collaboration helps to increase the reach of their services or improve the quality of their support services. In some cases, lower costs and overheads.

Collaboration can take place at many different levels, with a low level of engagement at one end of the spectrum (e.g., sharing information) to a lasting commitment to delivering services together.

To work well, the financial arrangements need to be clear, and charities need to decide what structure is the most appropriate, what the VAT consequences are and whether to treat the income as trading income.

 

Ways to collaborate

There are several ways to collaborate which vary in complexity and in terms of their pros and cons.

Secondment of staff – this is one of the simplest ways to work with another organisation. Generally, the supply of staff is subject to VAT, but there are some situations where VAT may not be chargeable. These include the supply of staff between two charities where they are engaged only in non-business activities and the secondment is not carried out for financial gain or where the secondment meets HMRC’s requirements as set out in VAT Notice 700/34. In particular, to qualify as a secondment, the recipient must be responsible for playing the employee’s remuneration directly as well as the PAYE, NI, pension contributions and other similar payments directly.

Consortium bids – this is one of the most common structures for collaborative working. A grant or contract is given to a lead organisation and sub-contracted or sub-granted down to other organisations. This is often done if a funder only wants to deal with one organisation, but it can be complex depending on the nature of the funding when it comes to VAT.  It’s worth bearing in mind that whatever way the funding was given (grant or contract), it should ideally be the way it’s distributed to partner organisations to avoid additional complications and costs.

Joint activities – Where activities are organised jointly but not through a separate entity they are commonly referred to as a JANE (Joint Activity Not an Entity). This is another popular way for charities to work together, and it can be organised in several ways, including contracts for goods and services, grant transfers and profit shares and joint supplies.

There is no legal basis behind a JANE as it’s not an entity and the VAT treatment can vary depending on the specific arrangement between the collaborating partners. As there can be uncertainty with this structure each the activities undertaken in each JANE should be looked at on its own basis and it may be necessary to agree with HMRC the VAT treatment proposed to ensure that this is acceptable.

Joint Venture Company – this is a more formal, longer lasting relationship than a JANE where a formal company is created to carry out a service.  As it is a separate legal entity it will need to register for VAT if it sells services that will attract VAT.

Sales and purchases between members and the joint venture will follow normal VAT rules. If it is not a charity, then any profits can be gift aided to member charities to avoid a corporation tax charge in the company.

Partnerships – If a joint venture amounts to a partnership, then for VAT purposes the partnership is a separate entity and must register if it exceeds the VAT threshold. Sales and purchases between partnership and the partner organisation are subject to VAT as the two are separate entities. However, determining if a partnership exists is a very complex area of law, so it’s usually best to try and avoid partnerships. Often collaboration agreements will include a declaration that there is no intention to create a partnership to avoid any ambiguity on this subject.

Sharing back-office functions- there is scope to share back-office functions, which can vary from executing tasks (payroll) to whole functions (finance/HR). This is common in local voluntary sector organisations where they often provide a range of services to small/micro charities.

The organisation sharing should consider whether it is within their charitable objects to provide services to other organisations as if not then this will qualify as trading income within the charity and have potential corporation tax consequences. One of the main issues with sharing back-office functions is that any charge is often subject to VAT which may be irrecoverable for the recipient. This irrecoverable VAT can mean a charity is paying more than if they carried out the function themselves.

 

Conclusion

Collaboration can bring many benefits in helping charities achieve their objects and reach more beneficiaries more effectively. However, for it to be successful it requires good planning and a willingness to put in the required effort to make it work.

To find out more about the different collaboration options from a tax and trading position listen to our webinar by clicking here. We also have a Collaborative Working Made Simple Guide.

 

 

Charity & CSR, News

Opencast selects 10 charities to support as donations pass £100K

Tyneside-headquartered tech consultancy Opencast has confirmed the names of 10 charities it will support in its 10th anniversary year following a vote by people working across the business.

The donations from Opencast’s latest profits total £55,000 – taking the amount donated so far to charities by the fast-growing business past the £100,000 mark – and are part of the company’s ‘10 good things’ initiative marking the company’s 10th anniversary.

The 10 charities were chosen by Opencast employees after a vote across the company, and include a range of non-profits working in the North East, UK wide and also internationally.

Beneficiaries, which are all UK-registered charities, include a rape crisis centre, two housing and homelessness projects, a tree planting charity and a UK-wide suicide prevention agency.

Opencast’s people voted to support charities working to address four key causes that mattered most to them: poverty and inequality; housing and homelessness; environment and sustainability; and health and medical.

Opencast’s 10 charities of choice for 2022 by theme:

Poverty and inequality

  • Rape Crisis Tyneside and Northumberland – providing free information, outreach, support and counselling for women aged 13 and over who’ve been raped or sexually abused
  • FareShare UK – a London-based network of food distributors that takes good quality surplus food and distributes it to more than 10,500 frontline charities and community groups

Housing and homelessness

  • Berwick Youth Project – a housing and homelessness charity that supports young people aged 13 to 25 with social, educational and cultural opportunities
  • Depaul UK – housing and homelessness charity working with young people in Manchester, the North East, Cumbria, South Yorkshire and London.

Environment and sustainability

  • Full Circle Food Project – charity that educates people living in Northumberland about growing food to eat, healthy cooking on a budget, and supporting people to lead healthier lifestyles
  • Trees for Cities – UK charity working at a national and international scale to improve lives by planting trees in cities, including through its ‘edible playgrounds’ initiative

Health and medical

  • Blue Sky Trust – Tyneside-based charity working to remove the stigma and discrimination suffered by those living with HIV
  • CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably – a UK-wide charity standing against suicide, particularly by men

International focus

  • Hope and Homes for Children – UK-registered charity working in central and eastern Europe and Africa to eliminate the institutional care of children
  • Homes of Promise – UK-registered charity offering hope to vulnerable, poor and destitute children in Uganda

The first two years of Opencast’s charitable commitment saw distribution of donations totalling £50,000 to 17 charities based in and around the North East, via the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. Each charity selected this year will receive a grant of £5091.

The company made an additional donation earlier this year to Ukraine-focused aid agency Operation Safe Drop – and its annual commitment includes matched donations to support individual fundraising efforts up to £250 per head, as well as a tax-efficient payroll giving scheme through the Charities Aid Foundation.

Sheena Widdowfield, Opencast’s head of learning and culture and chair of the company’s charity working group, said: “I am proud that Opencast is committed to giving 2.5% of its profits each year to good causes. In this our 10th year we wanted to give all our people the chance to have a say in choosing which charities should benefit from our donations.

“Although we are headquartered in Newcastle, we now have offices – and team members – across the UK and we wanted to reflect that in our donations.

“We sincerely hope our donations improve the lives of those who’ve turned to our chosen charities for help. Our thanks go to the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, which has awarded eight of our 10 donations for this year through our Opencast Charitable Fund.”

Elaine Holdsworth, senior philanthropy advisor at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, which is distributing funds through the Opencast Charitable Fund, said: “I am delighted that Opencast continues to support important causes with eight of the chosen charities supported with grants from the Opencast Charitable Fund.

“We know how hard our brilliant charities are working to enrich the lives of people in our local communities and across the UK. Grants like this are vital to their continued stability and success. This is a wonderful example of a company demonstrating a genuine and ongoing commitment to making a difference in society, and we are proud that they chose to establish a fund with us, to help make this happen.”

Sarah Robinson, chief executive of the Full Circle Food Project, said: “Full Circle Food is extremely grateful for this generous grant from Opencast. We work in Ashington, Northumberland trying to alleviate food poverty by education about growing food, cooking skills and food budgeting. We also provide an open access food larder twice a week. Our services are for children, young people and adults.”

John Bell, manager of Berwick Youth Project said: “We’re incredibly grateful to the Opencast Charitable Fund for this fantastic gesture of support, which will be used to support young people experiencing homelessness or a risk of becoming homeless. We’re still learning about the full extent of the impact of the last two years of Covid, but there’s no doubt we have huge issues in the availability and cost of safe and secure housing going forward.”

Jane Davidson, chief executive and trustee of Homes of Promise, said: “We’re a small charity working in Uganda, working mainly with street boys and supporting the poor. Life in Uganda is extremely difficult, with inflation rising and people struggling to find enough to eat. We are thrilled that Opencast’s people have chosen us as one of its charities to donate to this year. Its donation will make a difference to our work and enable us to take in and support more youngsters from the streets.”

Charity & CSR, News

Custom Heat Supports Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust with Free Heating Services and Grants for Midlands Families

Custom Heat, a plumbing and heating specialist that provides services across the Midlands, is partnering with the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, making the non-profit its charity of the year. To make a real difference to families who are living with the daily challenges of a child with cancer, Custom Heat has pledged to undertake free boiler services and repairs over the next 12-months for any Trust supported family living in its operational area.

In addition to the labour being provided at no cost when a family’s boiler unexpectedly breaks down or requires an annual service, Custom Heat is making an initial £1,000 pot of funding available to cover any parts that may be required as well as donating £2,500.

 

 

The Trust offers financial support directly to families who are referred directly from the teams at hospitals and Young Lives vs Cancer, so the £2,500 will fund 10 support grants for families at the new diagnosis stage, relapse stage or sadly also when bereavement occurs. Custom Heat’s 100-strong team will also be raising funds in a variety of ways, from facilitating collections and games at local fairs and business events to sponsored activities and office bake sales.

The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust is a small but growing not-for-profit that became a registered charity in 2016. It was founded in memory of Grace, who passed away at the age of four from a rare form of childhood cancer – and it was Grace who left behind a wish to help other children. Through her inspirational legacy, the team at the Trust work to support many families, locally across Worcestershire and across the UK. The Trust receives no statutory funding and relies almost wholly on public support.

When a child is diagnosed with cancer, it often significantly affects a family’s finances, as one or both parents can no longer work. Lincoln Smith, Managing Director of Custom Heat knew that he and his team could make a direct impact to families who are fighting childhood cancer, the biggest medical cause of death of children in the UK. He explained: “I knew that by partnering with the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, Custom Heat could immediately help to take away some of the financial worries that families might be facing when they are prioritising looking after a sick child. If a boiler crisis happens, we can be there the same or next day to get it running again and the cost of parts will come out of the fund we have created. By offering annual services, we will also prevent a proportion of future break downs and ensure these families going through very emotional times have one less thing to worry about.

“Our support doesn’t end there though; the Trust is Custom Heat’s charity of the year and the whole team will be fundraising in as many ways as we can think of over the next 12-months. Furthermore, we are funding 10 grants for families in need of direct financial support and we hope to motivate our customers to add to the £2,500 via our dedicated donation page, enabling the charity to undertake even more of its vital work.”

Childhood cancer is not as rare as many may think. It affects 1 in every 450 children before the age of 15. This is why the Grace Kelly Trust is fighting so hard for these children; funding research into rare childhood cancers, teaching the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer to assist earlier diagnosis and supporting families through the journey of diagnosis, living with the disease and sometimes, sadly, grief.

Emma Williams, Charity Operations and Fundraising Manager at the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, commented: “We are truly honoured to have been selected to receive support from the team at Custom Heat. As a small charity based in Worcestershire we have a team that are dedicated to the values and objectives of the Trust working hard to support families facing childhood cancer. Our family support covers emotional, sibling, financial and bereavement support ensuring we are there for families when they need us at such a hard time.

“This partnership offers the Trust an incredible opportunity to work with a well-recognised and successful family run heating and plumbing business. We are looking forward to raising the much-needed funds and profile of the Trust and to building a partnership to benefit the vital work that we do. We also want to work alongside the aims of Custom Heat to ensure that all involved have a positive and enjoyable experience of supporting a local charity.”

Custom Heat is a specialist plumbing and heating business based in Rugby and services a wide geographical area across the Midlands and occasionally beyond, for customers such as Windsor Castle. To learn more or to book an appointment online, please visit customheat.co.uk, or join the conversation on Facebook and Instagram – @custom_heat_ltd.

 

For more information about the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, please visit gkcct.org or to donate Custom Heat have created an online donation page, found here – https://gkcct.enthuse.com/cf/customheat.

 

Charity & CSR, News, North of England

Charity hero rowing the Atlantic set to tell story at Liverpool ONE

Inspirational fundraiser Bernie Hollywood OBE JP, who will row solo across the Atlantic in aid of children’s mental health later this year, will be sharing his story and bringing his Boat of Hope to Liverpool ONE this week.

The 63-year-old ‘charity guru’ has joined forces with local author Natalie Reeves Billing to help raise awareness of the impact of the recent pandemic on young children’s mental health and wellbeing.

He will take on the 3,000-mile challenge solo in December, rowing for 18 hours a day for up to 90 days alone at sea from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean as part of the renowned Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge.

Bernie was given special permission from Liverpool Council and its three Mayors to have the boat named ‘City of Liverpool’ in honour of his late father and grandfather who spent their working lives within the Port of Liverpool.

 Bernie’s campaign – Boat of Hope – inspired author Natalie to create a special book, ‘Bernie and Boatie’, to help youngsters improve their mental health, focusing on feelings of isolation, anxiety and resilience.

The boat, which measures just seven metres long (21ft) and features a special sleeping cabin for Bernie, is emblazoned with a specially commissioned 42ft mural artwork by renowned artist Justin Eagleton.

The content was created by children and high school students across Liverpool City Region and throughout the UK. Bernie, who is a keen ukulele player, will be playing music throughout his journey, plus opening a sealed letter of ‘Hope’ each day on the ocean, penned by from students.

As part of the preparations for the challenge kicking off, Bernie has completed a 370-mile, 30-Day Boat Pull at Ministry of Defence Base Lynham in May representing the 370 young lives lost to suicide in the UK last year. He has also recently completed a series of ‘opening up’ conversations with the  schoolchildren on their mental health and wellbeing.

Liverpool ONE will welcome Bernie and his boat on Thursday 4 August, giving visitors the chance to meet him and find out more about his upcoming challenge.

Bernie, originally from Speke, who will be raising funds for Samaritans and LOVE Rowing, said: “I have been rowing for three years, but have never taken on such a challenge as this.

“While I’ll be part of a wider group also doing the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, I will be completely alone in my boat for almost three months.

“It’s incredibly important to me that we give our young people a voice when it comes to mental health and recognise the impact the last few years has had on their wellbeing.

“I’m in no doubt that the challenge will push me to extremes, both physically and mentally, but if it encourages more young people to speak up about their worries and seek support, then it’s 100% worth it.”

As part of their visit to Liverpool ONE, Bernie and Natalie will also be reading aloud excerpts from Bernie and Boatie, encouraging families to prioritise their little ones’ mental health.

The book, which is Natalie’s fifth independent offering, follows the magical journey of seven-year-old Bernie and his faithful vessel, Boatie, as they set sail on their adventure across the Atlantic.

All proceeds from the new book will go to the national Boat of Hope campaign.

Natalie said: “Since the pandemic, we have seen a lot of focus on mental health, particularly that of young people or teenagers. However, I felt that there was less awareness of the impact on younger children.

“Creating this book based on Bernie’s real-life journey and incorporating the importance of talking openly and honestly to one another was extremely special for me.

“It includes messages about the feelings we can overcome and the storms that life throws at us. In this story, the sea represents our emotions, our ups and downs, as we try to find the light beyond adversity.

“Bernie’s challenge across the Atlantic is certainly a gruelling one but he is helping to raise awareness of such a vital topic and I’m honoured to have been involved in his preparations.”

As part of the boat’s tour, it will return to Liverpool ONE later in August, too.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said: “At Liverpool ONE, we are incredibly passionate about mental health, with our charitable arm, the Liverpool ONE Foundation, focusing on helping local organisations that support youth mental health.

“The Boat of Hope sends out a clear message to children and young people, encouraging them to speak up, embrace the ups and downs and seek support when you need it.

“We feel incredibly privileged to have Bernie drop in to Liverpool ONE with the boat that will take him across the Atlantic and we’d invite our visitors to go and along and find out more about how they can support.”

Charity & CSR, News

The Proclaimers set walking challenge for Yorkshire and the Humber residents

You don’t have to walk 500 miles to raise funds for Mary’s Meals this summer

The Proclaimers famously sang about walking 500 miles – and now the musical brothers are asking people in Yorkshire and the Humber to take on their own walking challenge to help Mary’s Meals feed hungry children.

The duo is calling for residents to take part in the charity’s Move for Meals campaign, which encourages people to raise sponsorship while getting active.

Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals in some of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts hungry children to the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a brighter future.

The Proclaimers – Craig and Charlie Reid – have supported Mary’s Meals for several years.

Craig says: “Summer is here, and there’s never been a better time to get your walking shoes on and raise money for this great charity.

“It costs just £15.90 to feed a hungry child with Mary’s Meals for an entire school year – so a little sponsorship can make a big difference.”

Charlie adds: “We’re not asking you to walk 500 miles, or 500 more… With Mary’s Meals, just a small number of steps can help to feed hungry children across the world.”

Mary’s Meals reaches 2,279,941 children every school day in 20 countries, including Ethiopia, Syria and Haiti.

Dan McNally, head of grassroots engagement at Mary’s Meals, says: “We serve Mary’s Meals in the world’s poorest, and often most difficult, locations because we know that’s where children need us the most.

“Today, we face some of our greatest challenges yet in a world devastated by conflict, food insecurity and the cost of living crisis. It is easy to feel hopeless when faced with so much suffering. But every single thing that people do for our mission makes an enormous difference to the children who eat Mary’s Meals.”

To find out more, please visit marysmeals.org.uk/move-for-meals