Post Office becomes BBC Children in Need’s official cash partner – & other partnership news
Melanie May | 28 July 2023 | News
Four news-in-briefs on partnerships between Post Office and BBC Children in Need, Corndel and Hospice UK, The Switch and Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, and the KFC Foundation and local Middlesbrough organisations Linx Youth Project and Youth Focus: North East.
Post Office becomes BBC Children in Need’s official cash partner
Post Office and BBC Children in Need have announced that Post Office is the official cash partner of BBC Children in Need after collecting over £870,000 of customer donations for the charity last year. 95% of this total came in as cash across the counter (£828,689.15).
Building on last year when Post Office mobile branches supported BBC Children in Need’s community fundraising through their Rickshaw Challenge, this year Post Office is hitting the road in August with CarFest. Post Office will also promote BBC Children in Need through the branch network in the run up to Appeal night on 17 November.
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Mark Cazaly, Head of Corporate Responsibility said:
“We are really proud to be the official cash partner for BBC Children in Need. Cash is playing an increasing role in helping families manage their budgets and the Everyday Banking services available to 99% of all UK banking customers at Post Offices, including the ability to withdraw the exact amount of cash they need, means everyone can help raise money for this vital charity. In fact, recent research showed 42% of the UK population donate to charities in cash and 1 in 3 people are using cash to help them manage their budgets so cash still has a really important role to play, even more so in light of the rising cost of living.
“We’re looking forward to getting stuck into the appeal this year and will be involved with a range of activities to help raise funds for BBC Children in Need in the run-up to Appeal night and make sure everyone knows they can drop off donations at their local Post Office.”
Strategic training skills provider partners with Hospice UK on data academy
To increase data literacy in the sector, UK strategic skills training provider Corndel has partnered with Hospice UK to launch the Hospice Data Academy, which will enhance hospice professionals’ data skills and knowledge.
Through the Hospice Data Academy, nearly 100 hospice professionals from 64 different hospices across England will join the Imperial College and Corndel Data-Driven Professional Programme. The programme combines academic learning from Imperial College Business School and Imperial College Department of Computing as well as vocational training and one-to-one coaching from experienced professionals.
The level three apprenticeship programme will equip learners from across a wide range of departments within Hospice UK, including HR, fundraisers, and service provision teams, with the necessary skills to make the best possible use of data in their respective roles, helping Hospice UK to achieve better understanding and communication with data within the organisation.
The Hospice Data Academy programme is being funded by over £1 million in gifted apprenticeship levy from Corndel’s corporate partners, including THG (The Hut Group). Employers who pay into the Apprenticeship Levy have the ability to transfer 25% of their Apprenticeship Levy fund to another organisation.
Foundation’s support enables charity to delivery financial literacy programme
The Switch received a £10,000 grant from the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation in April to provide financial literacy education to vulnerable children aged 9-10 years from Manorfield Primary School in Tower Hamlets, London.
The grant enabled The Switch to deliver a seven-week Business, Enterprise, Employability (BEE) programme in collaboration with the school and 24 volunteers from Sodexo. The online and face-to-face 90-minute sessions supported by Sodexo’s volunteers included topics such as making money choices, sustainability, advertising and branding.
The Switch was nominated by Sharon O’Brien – Head of Tax and a Sodexo Stop Hunger Charity Champion, who said:
“It has been a fantastic programme to be part of, and to see the impact it has had on the students was amazing. The understanding, maturity and ambition from students of such a young age was a pleasure to see.”
KFC Foundation partners with Middlesbrough organisations on food programmes
The KFC Youth Foundation has launched Big Boro Big Eats: two programmes that will provide food education for young people and food aid for local communities over the summer holidays, in partnership with local Middlesbrough organisations Linx Youth Project and Youth Focus: North East.
The programmes will complement existing work already being done by the organisations to address the barriers and disadvantages faced by young people in Middlesbrough. In collaboration with the KFC Youth Foundation, charity partner Linx will be running sessions across its five sites between 12:00 and 17:30 Monday to Friday throughout the summer, and Youth Focus: North East will be facilitating pop-up sessions for the community in key areas.
Big Boro Big Eats will lay the foundations for the opening of a permanent KFC Youth Foundation centre in Middlesbrough in 2024, with the Foundation set to open Youth Hubs across the country. These plans mark a milestone for the KFC Youth Foundation as it moves from a funding model to taking tangible action through delivering youth work in the places where communities and young people need support the most.
Louise Norris, Manager of the KFC Youth Foundation, said:
“Through this initiative, we aim to deliver further youth work opportunities to the local area by partnering with some inspiring organisations to provide a nurturing and inclusive space where young people can unlock their potential, overcome challenges, and build a brighter future. We believe that investing in the next generation is not only a responsibility but also an opportunity to make a lasting positive impact on their lives and our communities.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.