How we chose our charitable donations for Christmas 2021

Throughout our seventeen-year history, we have made a series of donations to support what we consider to be worthy causes.  This year we asked two members of our team to select charities that they feel passionate about for our annual Christmas donations.  This is who we are supporting and why:

Peter Brophy, Associate Director chose Fareshare.  Here’s why:

We decided to support Fareshare this year as the work they undertake in many respects fits the ‘spirit of Christmas’ by redistributing surplus food to charities that turn it into meals so that many people do not go hungry.

It also matches our aspirations around sustainability by helping to reduce food waste which globally has been a major contributor to carbon emissions, as explained on the Fareshare website:

Hidden carbon and water cost of food waste.
If food waste were a country it would be the third-largest emitter of carbon globally, yet the issue has been largely ignored in climate discussions at COP, according to food charity FareShare.

In the UK, food waste accounts for between 6 and 7% of total greenhouse gas emissions, with an estimated 2m tonnes of perfectly edible food needlessly wasted on UK farms and in factories every year, instead of being sent to charities and community groups.
Why should anyone go hungry (especially at Christmas) and reducing greenhouse gases. Two great reasons to support a worthy cause.

Georgia Daley, Senior Research Consultant chose the NSPCC:

“Following the year anniversary of passing my Childline training to become a volunteer counsellor and being awarded the 140 hours of service milestone, it was time to reflect on what it’s been like to support struggling young people throughout 2021.

It was clear to me that I still want to continue to support Childline and the NSPCC in any way possible, but it feels even more crucial to do this at Christmas. It’s a time that is associated with love and family celebrations, but for many young people in the UK, it will be about facing loneliness, neglect, or even abuse.

The NSPCC exists to fight for every childhood and given the fact that there has been a 29% increase this year in contacts suffering from complex mental health issues, particularly since the effects of the pandemic, we feel they could be benefitting from extra support and donations more than ever.

The NSPCC produces a report to evidence how the money you donate can be spent, and promise to spend 80% of every £1 directly on helping young people, so we were assured our business’ contribution will go towards significant work and research.”

Some thoughts from Andrew Daley, founding Director:

“We are proud of our commitment to supporting such worthy causes and this year our team has chosen especially well.  With Georgia’s admirable commitment to volunteering at Childline throughout the pandemic, a cause she is so passionate about, it seemed right to support the NSPCC for the amazing work they do.

With Pete’s choice, again this resonated with us, not least because so much of our work this year has touched on the vital subjects of ESG and Sustainability.

They are both areas where we really want to grow our market presence so we can make a bigger, long-term impact by helping our clients in this sector hire great people who in turn can make a real difference in the fight to protect our planet.

Thanks to both of you for all your hard work this year and making choices that truly fit with our organisational values.”