Charities, fundraising, volunteering, and community initiatives.
Francis House Children’s Hospice received over 32,000 knitted chicks and bunnies, filled with donated chocolate eggs, as part of their Easter fundraising campaign. The initiative, supported by volunteers and community members, aims to raise funds for the hospice, which supports families of children with life-limiting conditions. Last year's campaign raised £95,000, and the hospice hopes to exceed that amount in 2026.
Black Country Women’s Aid (BCWA) has been named the Black Country Chamber of Commerce’s Charity of the Year for 2026/27. This recognition highlights BCWA's work supporting survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence, modern slavery, and stalking in the West Midlands. The Chamber's support will help BCWA raise funds and awareness for its vital services in the community.
Gi Group UK has raised £3,000 and launched an Easter appeal to support local food banks by encouraging employees to donate essential items. The initiative involves all 17 UK hubs, aiming to positively impact communities by providing necessary provisions to those in need. Additionally, the company's Grimsby hub is partnering with North East Lincolnshire Council to donate Easter eggs for foster children.
Regency Clothing, a workwear and school clothing supplier in Worcestershire, donated over 200 chocolate Easter eggs to the Droitwich Foodbank to support local families. This initiative aims to ensure that children in the area have a happier Easter.
Over £870,000 has been distributed to 51 organisations in Denbighshire through the DVSC Key Fund to support community projects. This funding, which includes both capital and revenue support, aims to help local services grow and reach more people. The initiative highlights the importance of investing in the voluntary sector to enhance community resilience and wellbeing.
Partou team members donated Easter gifts, including eggs, books, and arts and crafts, to children in Manchester through Home-Start Manchester, a charity supporting families in challenging circumstances. This initiative follows a previous Christmas donation and aims to bring joy to children who might otherwise miss out on holiday celebrations. The partnership highlights Partou's commitment to supporting local communities and aligns with their mission to provide positive experiences for children.
The Weston Park Foundation is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a year of events at Weston Park, located on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border. The foundation, which preserves the park for public enjoyment, will host activities including a new music festival, exhibitions, and seasonal shows to mark the milestone. This celebration highlights the foundation's efforts over four decades to transform and maintain Weston Park as a leading visitor attraction.
Encore Digital Services has launched a digital platform enabling families to preserve the memories of loved ones and raise funds for charity, ensuring 100% of donations go to the chosen cause. The platform offers personalised digital legacy pages for individuals to document their stories and for families to create tribute pages after a person's death. This initiative addresses the growing trend of online memorial fundraising and aims to make conversations about death more accessible.
Home-Start Wessex has been shortlisted for the Best Place To Work award in the Wimborne Business Awards 2026, recognising its efforts in creating an outstanding workplace. The charity provides support to families in Dorset with young children facing various challenges, and has positively impacted 1,716 lives over the past year. Winning the award would acknowledge the hard work of its staff and volunteers, and the charity is seeking more volunteers to continue its support for local families.
Charity Jobs NI has announced the final line-up of exhibitors for the Charity Careers & Volunteer Job Fair happening tomorrow in Belfast. The event will feature over 500 paid and voluntary opportunities from various organisations across Northern Ireland's third sector, including mental health, disability support, and youth services. This fair provides a platform for individuals interested in meaningful careers and volunteering to connect with charities and community organisations.
Hamza Hussain, Managing Director of Abu Bakr Supermarket, will lead a 16-mile charity walk/run in April to raise funds for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice in West Yorkshire. The event, involving supermarket staff, boxers, and the public, aims to support children with life-shortening conditions and their families. The initiative underscores community involvement and aims to raise awareness and funds for the hospice's essential services.
The Charity Careers & Volunteer Job Fair, organised by Charity Jobs NI, will take place in Belfast on 24 March 2026, offering over 500 paid and volunteer opportunities in Northern Ireland's third sector. The event aims to connect jobseekers, career changers, and prospective volunteers with charities and community organisations, providing a platform for meaningful career and volunteering discussions. Notable organisations such as Inspire Wellbeing and Action for Children Northern Ireland will par
Ecommpay's annual charity auction raised over €7,200 for Street Child, surpassing its target. The funds will support Street Child's efforts to provide education and safety to children in low-income and disaster-affected countries. The auction featured diverse contributions from Ecommpay employees, and the final donation was tripled through company support and a personal contribution from the CEO.
Janine Downing has been appointed as the new Chief Officer of Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council (DVSC) in North Wales, bringing over 16 years of experience in the third sector. She aims to enhance connections and support for community groups, charities, and volunteers, building on the work of her predecessor, Tom Barham. This leadership change is significant as DVSC plays a crucial role in linking local organisations with wider support networks across Wales.
A Worcestershire recruitment firm, Pineapple Recruitment, donated over 200 chocolate Easter eggs to Worcester Foodbank for the third year in a row, aiming to bring joy to local children during Easter. This gesture highlights the company's commitment to supporting the local community and the foodbank's efforts to assist families in need. The donation is appreciated by the foodbank, which notes the positive impact on children's happiness.
Two on-call firefighters from Oxfordshire, Lauren Addis and Lisa Norgate-Barnes, have acquired a 70kg training dummy to prepare for the British Firefighter Challenge 2026, thanks to funding from Agility EOR. The new dummy allows them to train under full competition conditions, which is crucial for the demanding casualty drag event. This preparation is important as the challenge raises funds for charities supporting emergency services.
Two farmers from the Midlands, Rod Adlington and Guy Minshull, are embarking on a 1,000-mile cycling challenge from Land's End to John O'Groats in May 2026 to raise funds for the charities Get A-Head and Meningitis Now. They previously raised over £150,000 by rowing across the Atlantic in 2024. This new challenge aims to raise £25,000, with Rod's family and other participants joining to support causes related to head and neck disease and meningitis awareness.
The Charity Careers & Volunteer Job Fair, organised by Charity Jobs NI, will take place in Belfast on 24 March 2026, bringing together charities, community organisations, and social enterprises with jobseekers and volunteers interested in Northern Ireland's third sector. Notable participants include the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, HarmonI, and Living Water Adopt-A-Child UK & Ireland, offering attendees the chance to explore a wide range of career and volunteer opportunities. The event aims t
Sean Jackson, head of membership at the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, has joined the board of Citizens Advice Sandwell and Walsall to enhance collaboration between the business community and Citizens Advice. This move aims to better address the cost-of-living crisis by leveraging business insights to support local communities. The partnership has already led to Citizens Advice joining the Chamber, fostering deeper engagement and mutual benefits.
Five of Yorkshire’s leading chefs are coming together at Rudding Park for the five-course fine dining event of the year in aid of Candlelighters children’s cancer charity. This one-off collaboration, hosted by Yorkshire Food Guide and proudly supported by R and J Yorkshire’s Finest Farmers and Butchers, will be held at Rudding Park in Harrogate on May 18, where each chef will serve a course. The event will be raising money for Yorkshire charity Candlelighters, which helps over 500 families battl
