Case study Funding boost for Liverpool and Wirral children’s charities
- Alfie’s Squad, a Liverpool-based charity for children bereaved by suicide, receives boost to its plans to expand into new areas of the North West.
- Claire House, a Wirral hospice for seriously ill and terminally ill children, says it can help ‘more families than ever’ after also been selected for support.
- New ‘Cadent Foundation Community Fund’ enables 1,100 employees of major North West employer Cadent to help charities on their doorstep
Merseyside charity Alfie’s Squad, which supports children bereaved by suicide, and Claire House, a Wirral hospice caring for seriously and terminally-ill children, are two of the three beneficiaries of a big local employer’s new Community Fund.
The two charities initially receive £6,700 each, an equal share of a £20,000 start-up pot for Cadent Foundation Community Fund – with the promise of more to follow.
Cadent manages the North West’s gas distribution network and its 24/7 year-round gas emergency response service. It asked its 1,100 employees in the region to nominate and then vote for which charities would benefit from the new fund.
The third charity they chose is Jolly Josh, a Rochdale-based charity supporting children living with complex needs and physical disabilities.
Alfie Fitzsimmons, 15, formed Alfie’s Squad when he was eight, a year after his dad died by suicide. The funding boost comes at an important time, as the group looks to expand its services into new areas, across the North West and beyond.
Alfie said: “It makes me feel really happy that such a large company recognises the work we are doing, helping children who have lost a loved one to suicide.
“I am so grateful to hear that Cadent will be supporting Alfie’s Squad as one of their charity partners.”
David Pastor, CEO of Claire House, said: “We’re so grateful that the Cadent Foundation Community Fund will help us support more families than ever before this year.
“Having met some of the generous Cadent staff at the hospice already, we’re excited to work together with the community fund, raising much needed funds to provide the best possible care and support to our families.”
Ranjit Blythe, Managing Director of the Cadent Foundation, said: “Earlier this year, employees at Cadent were asked to nominate their favourite charity, a local charity they could support through the year, through fundraising as well as volunteering.
“We wanted our employees to choose local charities that meant something to them and are important to their local community.
“Each network has a starting pot of £20,000, to split among their chosen charities. Employees will then fundraise additional money for their charities – and earn a bonus from the Cadent Foundation at the end of the financial year.”
About the Cadent Foundation
The Cadent Foundation was established in July 2019 with Cadent committing one per cent of annual post tax profits each year to the Foundation. Our aim is to help households find sustainable solutions to fuel poverty and ensure people are safe and warm in their homes. We work with charitable organisations to help households improve their financial wellbeing and become more energy efficient through advice, support and practical measures.
The funds of the Cadent Foundation are administered by Charities Trust (Charity Registration No: 327489) who will manage the grant giving and ensure that all grants donated by the Cadent Foundation are only used to further charitable purposes for the public benefit.
https://cadentgas.com/cadent-foundation