15 Gloucestershire charities receive £1,000 boost from 12 Days of Giving campaign

Fifteen Gloucestershire charities have each received a £1,000 boost to make even more of a difference to people in the region thanks to Ecclesiastical’s 12 Days of Giving campaign.

Teckels Animal Sanctuary, St Rose’s School and the Forest Musical Society are among 120 good causes to share £120,000 as part of the annual 12 Days of Giving campaign. More than 94,000 people nominated thousands of causes and 15 of the 120 winning charities are helping to make a real difference in Gloucestershire.

Teckels rescue and rehoming centre in Whitminster cares for homeless cats and dogs in the Gloucestershire area. The charity suffered from a particularly difficult year in 2018 after losing a number of staff due to lack of funds and was facing closure.

Clare Campbell at Teckels said: “This £1,000 gift is a welcome and timely boost for us here at Teckels and we’re very grateful to everyone who took the time to nominate us. This money will make a real difference and help us continue to rehabilitate and rehome the homeless cats and dogs that come into our care every year.”

St Roses’ School in Stroud, which provides education and therapy for children with physical disabilities and complex health needs, was nominated by an employee from Ecclesiastical’s Gloucester office.

Julie Keogan, PA to Caroline Taplin, Group HR Director at Ecclesiastical said: “Supporting and arranging companywide volunteering is a big part of my role at Ecclesiastical and we’ve developed a great working relationship with St Roses. The HR team has volunteered at the school for the last several years and you never fail to come away feeling that you are making a real contribution to their invaluable mission. St Roses is a really great charity and picking them as my nomination for 12 days was an easy choice!”

The Forest Musical Society is an amateur musical theatre group based in the Forest of Dean and whose members regularly perform at Lydney Town Hall.

Michael Foligno, Chairman at The Forest Musical Society said: “Thank you so much to everyone who nominated us during the 12 Days of Giving campaign. We have some amazing talent here that we really want to grow and encourage. This money will help us to meet the costs of hiring halls and making sure our budding actors look their best, so we can continue to entertain the Lydney community.”

Other Gloucestershire-based charities to receive £1,000 include Headway Gloucestershire which is dedicated to improving life after brain injury, Rory’s Well which was set up in memory of Rory Evans and helps to provide safe drinking water to communities in rural Sierra Leone, and the Biodynamic Land Trust based in Stroud which secures UK land in trust to save biodynamic organic farms.”

Chris Pitt, corporate responsibility manager at Ecclesiastical, said: “As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, we believe charitable giving is really important, and even small amounts can add up to make a big difference. It’s fantastic to see that so many people have taken the time to vote for a charity that is close to their hearts and we’re delighted to hear how these donations are making a positive difference, not only in Gloucestershire but throughout the UK and far beyond.”

“The 12 Days of Giving campaign has enabled us to give a boost to 120 charities, helping a vast range of causes, from refurbishing an open-air swimming pool, providing care for the terminally ill, and rescuing abandoned dogs in Romania, to helping young people with mental health issues through surfing.” 

Ecclesiastical staff gave more than £300,000 to good causes in 2018 through personal grants and matched donations for fundraising and payroll giving as part of the company’s ‘MyGiving’ scheme. Ecclesiastical gives all members of staff a personal grant of £125 to give to charity and this is doubled if they volunteer for the same charity.

Last year, Ecclesiastical launched its first Impact Report to demonstrate the many ways the company is contributing towards the greater good of society.