ICMIF member Ecclesiastical Insurance Group’s Movement for Good awards have given a further GBP 200,000 to five charities across the UK to help them transform lives.
After receiving GBP 10,000 from Ecclesiastical in 2021, five charities were chosen by a panel of judges to benefit from an additional GBP 40,000 each.
Penhaligon’s Friends, based in Cornwall in the South-West of England, which provides support for bereaved children, young people and their families, is one of the charities set to benefit from the additional funding. The donation will help Penhaligon’s Friends grow its team and expand its community support. The charity will develop up to four monthly peer groups, in different localities, to enable young people better access to support throughout the county.
Another charity, Sheffield Wildlife Trust, which carries out natural flood management work in South Yorkshire, will use the funding to extend the charity’s work to other suitable sites in the Upper River Don catchment area to mitigate flood risk.
Mark Hews, Group CEO of Ecclesiastical, said: “At Ecclesiastical we believe business should be a force for good. Charitable causes need sustained support and a sense of financial stability. We received so many strong funding applications from deserving charities we decided to give five fantastic causes GBP 40,000 each. We know that these additional grants can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how these donations will change lives for the better.
“Ecclesiastical, the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK, is a unique financial services group. We are owned by a charity, which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business.”
Julie Parker, CEO of Penhaligon’s Friends, said: “Penhaligon’s Friends has been delivering support to bereaved children for over 26 years and is the only service of its kind in Cornwall. We have had an incredibly challenging period over the last few years and have had to adapt to meet local need. Receiving this additional GBP 40,000 will allow us to really invest in providing longer term, appropriate, and meaningful support for bereaved young people throughout Cornwall. As a small charity this will allow us to make a big difference!”
Marta Alfaro-Tirado, Nature Recovery Manager (South) at Sheffield Wildlife Trust, said: “Natural flood management is an ecology- and wildlife-friendly way to mitigate the risk of flooding which climate change threatens to make more frequent in future. By installing leaky dams and new ponds, we are storing the water in an area without properties and releasing it slowly, helping reduce the damage caused by flash floods.”
Since the awards were launched three years ago GBP 3million has been given to charities across the UK and Ireland. More than 700 kind-hearted brokers nominated a charity and supported the Movement for Good awards during its first phase last year.
Ecclesiastical Insurance also provides selected broker partners with grants worth a minimum of GBP 2,500 to give to their chosen charities. Since the scheme began, over GBP 550,000 has been donated to charities chosen by brokers to support causes ranging from beach cleaning to mental health charities and cancer support.
For further information on the Movement for Good awards please visit: www.ecclesiastical.com/movement-for-good
Image shows FarmAbility, an outdoor, purposeful programme for co-farmers (adults with learning disabilities and autism) on farms and green spaces in Oxfordshire, another recipient of a grant of GBP 40,000 from Ecclesiastical.
