Corporate and charity partnerships in January 2026
Howard Lake | 15 January 2026 | News
Corporate charity partnerships announced or updated in January 2026 include a Nottingham shopping centre, Checkatrade and a trade charity, a three-year partnership with AstraZeneca, a half-million-pound total from E.ON, and the Oxford Half marathon choosing Helen & Douglas House Hospice.
Nottingham shopping centre partners with Nottinghamshire Mind
Victoria Centre, the Nottingham shopping centre, has chosen Nottinghamshire Mind as its charity of the year for 2026.
This follows a two-year partnership with Nottinghamshire Hospice that raised £24,972.
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The new partnership aims to support mental health and wellbeing across the community, building on the centre’s commitment to community engagement. The goal is to help raise awareness about mental health, reduce stigma, and ensure more people in Nottinghamshire can access the support they need.
Checkatrade partners with Band of Builders
Home improvement platform Checkatrade has chosen Band of Builders as its official charity partner for 2026.
Band of Builders is a charity created by the building trade, providing practical support to members of the construction industry and their families during life-changing or unexpected circumstances.
When illness, injury or hardship strikes, the charity brings together skilled tradespeople to carry out essential building projects. From home adaptations to vital repairs, the charity helps people regain dignity, independence and stability.
AstraZeneca in three-year partnership with Barnardo’s
Barnardo’s and AstraZeneca have announced a three-year healthy living partnership for young people.
The programme provides a Healthy Living Fund and creates a youth-led advocacy toolkit.
AstraZeneca’s Young Health Programme is a global initiative, aiming to provide education for young people to feel empowered to make informed choices about their health and catalyse a global, youth-led advocacy movement. It combines community programmes, research, advocacy, and the development of young leaders, with a focus on underserved communities.
The funding from the UK pharmaceutical company will help to create a Healthy Living Fund open to children and young people supported by Barnardo’s.
Eligible young people will be able to apply for up to £300 in vouchers for groceries, white goods, small appliances or other cooking equipment which will be issued within 24 hours. This funding will enable the young people take control of their own diet and increase both their access to healthy food options and their capacity to cook healthy meals.
E.ON marks half a million pounds raised for Mind
Energy supplier E.ON UK is celebrating raising over £500,000 for mental health charity Mind over it four-year partnership.
The funds raised will support Mind services across England and Wales, including helplines, online peer-support communities, and trusted mental health information. Initiatives included over £220,000 in match funding and around £110,000 from sponsored challenges.
Helen & Douglas House becomes Oxford Half headline charity partner
Helen & Douglas House is this year’s Headline Charity Partner for the 2026 Oxford Half Marathon, which takes place on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Last year the half marathon sold out in record time last year as 13,000 participants registered, and raised over £1.2 million for its charity partners.
Runners fundraising for Helen & Douglas House in that event raised over £68,000 to help fund care for families who need it, so the partnership gives them an opportunity to raise even more.
Markerstudy Group and Air Ambulances UK partner
General insurance service provider Markerstudy Group is partnering with Air Ambulances UK (AAUK), the organisation championing and supporting the lifesaving work of the UK’s 21 air ambulance charities.
This partnership aims to raise funds to support air ambulance missions across the UK.
Initially, fundraising will take place through a range of staff initiatives and events, designed to engage teams and raise awareness of the critical care services provided by air ambulance charities.
The UK’s 21 air ambulance charities deliver advanced, pre-hospital care to people experiencing life-threatening injury or illness, with most missions funded almost entirely by donations. Each mission costs on average £4,165, and this support will help ensure air ambulance crews can continue to respond quickly and effectively across the UK.
Markerstudy colleagues will be able to take part in a variety of fundraising activities throughout the year, supporting the lifesaving work of the air ambulance charities serving their local areas.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.