Category Archives: Charity & CSR

Charity & CSR, Retail

Hampers for Heroes opens new pop-up shop in Solihull

A Midlands organisation set up to help key workers during the Covid pandemic is opening a new pop-up shop to boost funds and celebrate its first birthday.
The Hampers for Heroes shop opens at the Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull on April 12 – when retail in England is allowed to restart.
How the Shop Will Look

 

The shop, in the Poplar Arcade, will offer a range of branded merchandise, such as water bottles, tote bags, wellbeing items and gifts like sunflower pots for children.
It will also include a wellbeing hub where people can drop in to discuss therapies such as mindfulness, meditation and counselling, which are also on offer.
Hampers for Heroes founder Victoria Hanson said: “We are so excited to be opening this new shop.
“This provides an opportunity for our whole community to say a huge thank you to the NHS, carers, teachers and key workers, to acknowledge the sacrifice they have made for us all over the last year. We plan to be here for the long term, providing a way to send love and gratitude from our community to our community. A way to bring us together when there is often so much to divide us.”
Hampers for Heroes started at the beginning of the first lockdown with volunteers delivering wellbeing hampers to NHS staff and other key workers to offer them a boost as they battled to cope during the pandemic.
It has now reached more than 40,000 key workers and has expanded to offer services like counselling, mindfulness and meditation to help with mental health. Ali Swift, a wellness coach and holistic therapist, has joined the organisation as Director of Wellbeing.
An example of the cards that will be on sale

 

Ali said: “Hampers for Heroes is now on a mission to provide our NHS, teachers and community key workers with support in the recovery phase of the pandemic.

“We recognise that for many the mental health toll has been significant and that all can benefit from help to boost their wellbeing. We will provide conventional, holistic and alternative therapies that can help the individuals support their own mental health now and in the future. These services will be heavily subsidised, making it affordable and aligned to their income.”
An example of the wellbeing hampers available to buy in store
Tony Elvin, general manager of Touchwood, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Hampers for Heroes to Touchwood for their Poplar Arcade pop-up store.
“Throughout lockdown Hampers for Heroes have done a tremendous job in supporting those that have given so much to us. We are grateful to be able to play some small part in their ongoing work.”
Victoria thanked organisations including the Lyndon Pub in Solihull, the Silhillians Rugby Club and the Sassy Logistics Company, who have all sponsored merchandise.
Hampers for Heroes celebrates its first birthday on April 18. To find out more about the organisation and to donate, visit hampersforheroes.net
Charity & CSR, News

“We See You” says Shropshire charity as it launches new workplace diversity campaign

Award-winning training and employment charity, Landau, today launched a new campaign to drive greater diversity in workplaces across Shropshire.

The We See You campaign will tell the inspiring stories of some of the 3,000 people helped into training or employment by the charity, highlighting the benefits to organisations which commit to a more inclusive culture.

The initiative was unveiled on March 29 to coincide with the start of Autism Awareness Week and will continue throughout 2021 to encourage vulnerable people looking for employment and training opportunities to seek help and employers to pledge their support.

Sonia Roberts is CEO of Landau, which has a successful 25-year history of delivering supported employment and training services across the UK.

She said: “Around 700,000 people in the UK have been diagnosed with autism yet only around 16% of them are in full-time education.

“Launching the We See You campaign this week allows us to shine a spotlight on those people with hidden disabilities and challenges who with the right help and training can be supported into the workforce.”

“But throughout the year we will be focusing on a range of workplace equality and diversity issues and encouraging employers to really ‘see’ the individuals and the talent pool available to them.

“All of our services are heavily focused around delivering individual interventions. That means we work very hard to get to know every person who walks through our doors so that we can understand their aspirations. We then develop a pathway to learning or employment which builds on their existing skills and strengths so that we can help them achieve their life-long goals.

“Our expertise lies in matching people’s experience and skills to the right training programmes or jobs, and we have a highly successful track record of making sure these opportunities are sustainable long term.

“We See You is about making sure people know we see them as an individual, regardless of any challenges they may face – disability, learning difficulties, vulnerability or otherwise.

“We want to celebrate the achievements of those we provide support to and make sure those who need help know where to find us.

“Getting more businesses to adopt a diverse and inclusive culture in their workplaces is also central to this campaign as this will help to broaden the opportunities for the most vulnerable people in our society and help reduce unemployment.

“Together we can make a real change and we hope this campaign will have an impact.”

Landau works with more than 3,000 people, including military veterans and those with mental health and other personal challenges, which over time may have become a barrier to gaining employment or training.

Throughout Autism Awareness Week, Landau, will be celebrating several key achievements including the success of its online autism course which is being delivered on a national scale for the Department for Work and Pensions.

It will also showcase a range of success stories from individuals who have received ongoing support from the charity and these will be shared online through the charity’s social media platforms in the form of podcasts and short interviews.

To follow the campaign visit @landaulimited on Facebook, Landau Limited on Linkedin and @landaulimited on Twitter.

You can also keep up to date with the campaign online at https://www.landau.co.uk/.

Charity & CSR, HR News, News

Peninsula Group raises £1 million for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity

Manchester-headquartered global employment law consultancy, Peninsula Group, has announced they have raised £1 million for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity.

The news comes almost a year after the Group announced it was doubling its £1 million charity pledge to £2 million.

Peninsula Group announced its original commitment of £1 million in March 2019, but in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made the work of the hospital more challenging than ever, as well as impacting on charitable donations, Peninsula decided to double its pledge to £2 million.

During the past two years, Peninsula Group has built up a strong relationship with Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, and employees have already raised this significant amount through ambitious fundraising activities such as the Great Manchester Run, abseiling a 19-storey building and even a trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. Funds have also been raised through payroll deductions which have been matched pound for pound in corporate donations.

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital treats more than 280,000 patients every year and provides resources to make a difficult time easier for children and their families.

Peter Done, founder and Group Managing Director of Peninsula Group, said:

“Peninsula Group are delighted to have reached the remarkable milestone of raising £1 million through our incredible fundraising efforts and the Group matching every donation made. We hope that this impressive donation will help Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity significantly.

“Even though we are halfway there, we will not be resting on our laurels, and we will be doing all we can to achieve our pledge of £2 million. With lockdown restrictions finally easing, we have some exciting adrenaline events taking place over the next few months.

“Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is an incredible organisation, and we are glad to assist, and it is a privilege to do what we can to help.”

Rachel Laycock, Senior Corporate Fundraising Manager for the Charity, said:

“We were delighted when Peninsula announced they wanted to raise £1million for us – when they doubled it to £2million we were overwhelmed at their generosity!

“Reaching the halfway mark is an event worthy of celebration and we want to thank each and every team member at Peninsula Group who has taken part in an event for us. They had some pretty impressive superhero costumes at our Humphrey’s Heroes Abseil and we’ve loved seeing the pictures of fundraising they did in-house too.

“We can’t wait to see them all in person, hopefully very soon. But in the meantime, I want to extend a virtual congratulations to everyone on reaching a terrific fundraising amount. Thank you Peninsula Group!”

Charity & CSR, Fintech, News

Caring start-up supports children in women’s refuge with Buddy Bag pack

Staff at a community-focused business filled 180 backpacks of essential items and teddies for children escaping violent homes. 

The first Buddy Bag pack at Payaro gave its team a hands-on insight into the charity they have pledged to support with £10,000 a year. 

Payaro directors Danny and Lee Dunne then delivered some of the bags to a local women’s refuge.  

They were joined by Karen Williams OBE, founder of the Buddy Bag Foundation which funds the supplies to children entering emergency accommodation entirely through donations. 

Payaro is a new Staffordshire-based start-up where every time a payment is made through its payment technology, a share is automatically shared with BBF. The money raised through a percentage of the transaction fee is also then match-funded by a Payaro partner. 

They were also joined by Buddy bag supporters and Payaro customers Ron Mcllreavy of Hanley Town Football Club and Craig Spillane of MenUnite at the event. 

Payaro’s marketing director, Danny Dunne, said: “This was an amazing day for us, underlining our purpose. For our team to learn more about the Buddy Bag Foundation and be inspired by Karen and all she has achieved so far was hugely rewarding and humbling. 

“One of my most important aims of the day was to showcase that when a host, a charity, partners, and customers all join together, great things can happen – and that the strength is in the collective.” 

The company, based in Anson Court, Horninglow Street, is now set to complete a Buddy Bag pack each month. 

But Danny said the first one was extra special.  

“Not only to have our team there but to have been joined by Ron and Craig means a lot,” he said.  

Karen Williams OBE, Buddy Bag Foundation founder said: “We are immensely grateful for Payaro’s very significant support. Their hands-on help means we can supply not only local children but families across the country at a time when more youngsters are having to flee, due to a rise in domestic violence since lockdown started last year.” 

Charity & CSR, Food & Drink, News

Students feed the hungry thanks to The Free Meal Project Bristol

Two Bristol students have set up a crowdfunded initiative to help reduce food poverty in the city after being inspired by Marcus Rashford’s campaign.

University of the West of England (UWE) students Christopher Dalingwater and Arshia Varziry set up The Free Meal Project Bristol by creating a JustGiving page seven weeks ago, with the hope of raising £500 to buy and deliver food packages to local food banks.

Nearly two months later, they have raised more than £1,200 and have delivered over £1,000 worth of food to food banks across Bristol.

With Christopher studying Business Management and Arshia studying Accounting and Finance, the students have been able to use their knowledge to help the initiative thrive.

With a £150 start up and all donations going towards food and packaging, the not-for-profit campaign has exceeded expectations, and continues to do so.

Each week they have been able to deliver between five and ten food boxes, valued at around £21 each, that are specialised to the needs of each individual food bank.

Ebenezer Church, who host a drop-off point for North Bristol Food Bank, had a special request for their donation. They asked if they could receive an Easter egg special donation before Good Friday, and the students delivered 120 Easter eggs to them.

England footballer Marcus Rashford started a national campaign during the second UK lockdown to raise money to provide meals for vulnerable people, particularly school children who, at the time, were unable to receive free school meals. The widely covered campaign to end child poverty brought the issue to the attention of Christopher and Arshia, who wanted to do something to help.

Arshia said: “Marcus Rashford’s campaign opened our eyes to the thousands of children, and adults, who go hungry every single every. We felt that if we were able to help, then we wanted to and we should.”

Christopher said: “We are so passionate about this project because we believe that nobody should go to bed at night hungry or worrying about where their next meal will come from, especially in a country like ours.”

“We are looking forward to expanding the project soon with the help of Enactus, an entrepreneurial action programme in UWE who have 70,000 members across the UK. We’re excited to continue to grow and develop as the future is bright for this project.”

After the immediate success of the initiative, they have been shortlisted to compete in Sodexo’s Stop Hunger partner competition alongside five other projects later this month, where they will virtually present their project and win a share of the £3000 prize, amount dependent on the presentation.

With the help of Enactus and the prize money from Sodexo, they are looking forward to expanding their deliveries to South Wales and Gloucestershire soon, as well as having their own space once a week allowing them to scale up and deliver more boxes weekly.

People can support the campaign by visiting JustGiving https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/freemealprojectbristol?utm_term=RJYynbvmA

 

Charity & CSR, Exercise, News

From Manchester to Madagascar – Digital Agency Embarks on 5,777 Mile Fundraiser for client WaterAid

They’ve designed and managed their website for nearly three years –  now the team at Manchester digital agency Access are going the extra mile for their client WaterAid with an epic charity challenge that will see them cover 5,777 miles – the distance from Manchester to Madagascar – by foot, bike and rowing machine!

With an ambition to raise at least £5,777 for the charity, the agency is also hoping to highlight the crucial work that the charity does in Madagascar.

Access staff and their counterparts at WaterAid are taking part in the challenge. Working in two teams, they are collectively walking, running, cycling, rowing, swimming and even climbing a combined total of 5,777 miles. Adding a competitive element, one team started in Manchester and the other in Madagascar to see who can (virtually) reach the mid-way point around Mecca first.

For Access Managing Director, Simon Landi, launching the fundraiser is also about motivating the team to stay active and well while working remotely.  He said: “The past 12 months have been tough for everyone physically and mentally so we wanted to kick off the beginning of this year with a charity initiative that would bring us together, challenge us and encourage staff to take a break from their screens and get outside – whether that be a gentle walk or a challenging bike ride, all whilst raising money and awareness for an incredible cause.

“We’ve missed being able to do group sports and wellbeing activities in our office-based lunch breaks, so this has got everyone collaborating and supporting each other to give it everything that they’ve got as they race to be first to the target.

“We’ve already reached more than half of our target – and nearly covered 4,000 miles – so it would be great if our peers and friends in fellow businesses around the region showed their support by making a donation – to spur the team on further.”

Simon added: “We’ve been WaterAid’s global web development partner for almost three years and we are continually inspired and amazed at the life changing work they do. We’re having lots of fun doing this challenge with them and they’ve been brilliant at encouraging us – they gave us a motivational kick off presentation and we’re working closely with their Field Officer in Madagascar, Ernest, on a Q&A session soon to chat about their work in Madagascar. He’s also provided us with a Spotify playlist and encouragement along the way.

“WaterAid’s latest awareness campaign called ‘Mission to Mars’ is extremely moving, highlighting the juxtaposition between our desire to go to Mars to see if life can exist there (mainly by researching for water) – compared with people here on earth (like the families the charity supports in Madagascar), who are still dreaming of finding water right here on our own planet.

“It was this campaign that compelled us to step outside our comfort zones and raise money and awareness for the people who struggle to find one of our most basic, yet vital, human resources.

“You can keep up to date with our progress, and the race to Mecca, within our daily update blog and anyone who would like to donate to the challenge can do so via our Just Giving page.”

For more information about Access visit https://www.weareaccess.co.uk

Charity & CSR, Food & Drink, News, Sustainability

Local Charity Penparcau Community Hub provides more meals for vulnerable people in Aberystwyth through M&S app

Aberystwyth-based charity, Penparcau Community Hub, has ramped up the number of meals it’s providing to those in need thanks to M&S’s food redistribution programme.

An innovative colleague app, launched in March 2020, is used to notify charities when surplus food is available, helping to increase donations and stop food going to waste. Since the app launch, M&S Aberystwyth has provided over 19,134 meals to the local community.

Karen Rees Roberts, Forum Manager at Penparcau Community Hub in Aberystwyth said, “The team here at Penparcau Community Hub have been very busy supporting vulnerable and isolated members of the community and have now established Penparcau Action Team (PAT) so that we can work remotely and still keep services going as best we can. The M&S Food Surplus programme means great quality food can be distributed every weekend by the PAT team in a logistical, organised and controlled way providing additional support during the pandemic’’.

Adam Hensman, Food Team Manager at M&S Aberystwyth said, “When we have surplus food our absolute priority is for it to end up on someone’s plate, through our charity redistribution programme with Neighbourly. We’re thrilled that the app has already helped to make a difference to charities like Penparcau Community Hub who do such an incredible job in our local community. By providing charities with updates in real-time, they’re able to collect even more meals to feed the people they support and help us to prevent food going to waste.”

Since 2015, M&S stores have supported over 2,000 local causes nationwide, from food banks to youth clubs and hospices, donating over 21 million meals so far to those in need. In partnership with Neighbourly, a platform that connects company funds, surplus and volunteer time with local causes to make a positive impact, the colleague app is now in all 585 M&S stores, enabling many of them to more than double their food redistribution rates. Across the UK, more than ten million meals have been donated since 1st March 2020.

M&S is always looking for new partners to work with. Local charity and community groups who would like to get involved in the food surplus programme or other charity initiatives are encouraged to email mandsfood@neighbourly.com to find out more.

Charity & CSR, News

Sam Gelder takes on seven marathons in seven days to raise funds for The Gelder Charitable Trust and Cancer Research

Super human effort of completing seven marathons in seven days breaks through £20,000 charity fund barrier.

From Saturday 6th March to Friday 12th March, Sam Gelder will be taking on the amazing challenge of completing ‘7 marathons in 7 days’.

Amongst others Sam (24), will be running through the villages of Corringham, Blyton, Springthorpe, Hemswell, Kexby, Upton, Willingham by Stow and each day finishing at Gelder Group’s Head Office complex at Sturton by Stow.

Sam will be raising money for the below two charities:

The Gelder Charitable Trust
Cancer Research UK

Barclays will be match funding everything raised for Cancer Research. Gelder Group will be match funding everything for The Gelder Charitable Trust.

The Gelder Charitable Trust was set up in 2020 following the sad and sudden passing of Gelder Group Commercial Manager, James Flintham (38). The charity provides support, financial or otherwise, to construction workers and their families when they become incapacitated through illness or accident.

Sam Gelder (24) has completed marathons all over Europe as well as several triathlons and Copenhagen’s Iron Man and was due to complete this challenge at an official event in Milton Keynes which, due to Covid, has been cancelled so he has decided to attempt it solo in Lincolnshire and at the same time raise a substantial amount of money for charity.

Readers can follow Sam’s progress on Strava, Facebook and Twitter @geldergroup.

Charity & CSR, News

Lord’s Taverners Wales donates minibus to Carmarthenshire special day school

THE Lord’s Taverners Wales has presented Llanelli school Ysgol Heol Goffa with a specially adapted minibus to enable pupils to engage in more community activities.

The special school, which caters for pupils aged three to nineteen with a range of additional learning needs, is looking forward to welcoming its students back as soon as restrictions allow so they can enjoy the opportunities that the minibus now offers.

Alongside out of school activities such as attending leisure facilities, therapies and work experience, the minibus will allow the school to continue to provide their pupils with the opportunity to attain their Duke of Edinburgh awards, with many students striving for the Gold award.

Ceri Hopkins, Head Teacher at Ysgol Heol Goffa, said: “Both the pupils and staff are over the moon to be in receipt of the new minibus as it will enable us to transport our pupils and therefore access essential parts of their school and life skills curriculum.

“We are looking forward to providing pupils with the opportunities to get out into the community and develop more social aspects of life skills, which unfortunately the past year has deprived them of.

“We can’t thank our amazing PTA enough for all of their fundraising efforts, and of course the Lord’s Taverners Wales for their incredible donation.”

Andrew Gibson, Chairman of Lord’s Taverners Wales, said: “Transport is a very important lifeline for all special educational needs schools and organisations; the opportunities it helps provide are unquestionable. At Lord’s Taverners we believe it is vital that everyone should be able to enjoy sports and recreations, and the new minibus will help the pupils do just this.”

With COVID-19 restrictions forcing the school’s closure, the minibus could not be presented by The Lord’s Taverners in person, however, an official presentation to staff and pupils is planned as soon as restrictions allow.

The Lord’s Taverners charity was set up in 1950 by a group of friends and cricket enthusiasts. They aim to give children, particularly those with special needs, a ‘sporting chance’, by providing sporting equipment including sensory equipment, specially adapted wheelchairs, minibuses, grants and donations.

To find out more about the Lord’s Taverners please visit www.lordstaverners.org/members/wales

Charity & CSR, News

YMCA Bedfordshire receives donation towards hunger prevention project

A local housebuilder has donated 10 slow cookers to a community project helping low-income families in Bedfordshire.

Bellway Northern Home Counties – which is building new homes across Bedfordshire – provided the slow cookers to Bedford Borough’s #NoToHungerInBedfordBorough project, of which YMCA Bedfordshire Food4 community larder is a participant.

The scheme was set up to link local businesses, food banks, donors and people who need support to ensure that nobody has to go hungry this winter.

As part of the scheme, the group is asking for donations of new slow cookers, as many low-income families struggle with utility bills – and it costs just 21p in electricity to prepare a family meal with a slow cooker.

Research by the Food Foundation in September revealed that 12 per cent of UK families reported skipping meals because they could not afford or access food.

Established in 1986, YMCA Bedfordshire supports local communities through a range of services including its Food4 community larder, which is based at 3 Church Arcade via Dane Street.
Marketing and Partnerships Manager for YMCA Bedfordshire, Paul Kellett, said: “The pandemic has meant we have seen a large increase in requests for food support throughout 2020.

“We see approximately 150 households per week and deliver to a further 65 which is way more than we saw this time last year.

“One of the many ways we’re working to make sure no one goes hungry is to join with other food and support charities to offer a joined-up approach through the #NoToHungerInBedfordBorough campaign which is proving a great initiative.”

Sales Director for Bellway Northern Home Counties, Luke Southgate, said: “When we saw the call-out for slow cookers we were more than happy to help, especially as the pandemic has meant there is a greater need for support for charities such as YMCA Bedfordshire.

“We hope our donation to the #NoToHungerInBedfordBorough campaign will help to make a positive difference to the families it supports.”

To donate to the #NoToHungerInBedfordBorough project, visit oneymca.org/notohungerinbedfordborough-donate.

Bellway is building new homes in Wootton at Berry Wood, in New Cardington at Eastcotts Green and Eastcotts Place, in Bidwell at Brambleside, in Houghton Regis at Linmere, in Leighton Buzzard at Lestone Mews, and in Wixams at Brook View.

For more information on the new homes Bellway is building in Bedfordshire, visit bellway.co.uk.