Charity, Family, News

2020 was a challenging year for everyone. From individuals to small businesses, such as ourselves, and even some very large, multinational corporations. However, one sector that has been significantly hit, and perhaps overlooked, is charities.

Many charities have seen a great impact on their ability to fundraise with almost all events being cancelled. From large scale events such as the London Marathon, which raised £66.4 million for numerous charities in 2019, to smaller local events organised in support of individual charities, fundraising has been a struggle.

And it’s not just about raising money. Thousands of people really do enjoy all kinds of fundraising events throughout the year. 

We all want to help where we can and at Twist we have tried to do just that, recently aligning ourselves with an amazing charity called Peterson’s Fund For Children.

Whilst we acknowledge that we are a small, family run business, and do not have the financial might of a multinational corporation, we are still committed to doing our bit. We have been involved in various charitable campaigns in the past, from our Brew For A Hero (which is back by the way!!!) to our Remembrance Caddies. However, this year we have committed to doing even more.

Many large businesses are able to donate millions to deserving causes, which we applaud them for, so we wanted to make a similarly significant impact relative to our size. So we are pleased to announce that 10% of all gross profits from Twist will be donated directly to Peterson’s Fund For Children.

Introducing Peterson’s Fund For Children

Based in Surrey, Peterson’s Fund For Children is dedicated to improving and enhancing the lives of children with severe mental and physical disabilities.

For the last 10 years, and thanks to extensive fundraising efforts, they have been able to provide funding for a variety of therapies, specialised equipment and much needed respite care not available on the NHS. Their aim is to help as many young people in need as possible by improving the children’s quality of life enabling them to maximise their potential.

You can learn more about the work Peterson’s Fund For Children does, as well as reading some of the individual stories of the children, by visiting their website.

The Impact of COVID-19

As with many charities, the lack of fundraising events throughout the last year has had a notable impact. However, unlike some other charities, there is a further impact for Peterson’s Fund for Children, through the loss of business in Suite 109. Suite 109 is the Fund’s charity shop. This unique charity shop specialises in new and pre-loved fancy dress and accessories plus dance costumes, theatre and vintage wear for all ages, sizes, genders and needs. The enforced closure of the shop for the majority of 2020 has resulted in a significant reduction in revenue, greatly impacting the charity.

This has led to reliance on grants and support from donations for funding their vital work. The application process for grants is time-consuming and each will have a large number of deserving charities applying, meaning there is no guarantee of success. This has led to a reduction in avenues for funding.

As well as the affects on funding, COVID-19 has meant that the charity has been required to adapt the services it provides for the children. Where previously there has been a focus on face-to-face therapy and hands-on help for the children, from bespoke yoga or physiotherapy sessions to horse-riding lessons, social distancing measures have made this impractical. Therefore, the charity needed to rethink and change tack.. The current focus is on the health and nutrition of the children, with funds going towards supporting these efforts.

Ways in which you can support

There are ways in which you can support Peterson’s Fund For Children. As well as one-off donations, there are other ways you can provide regular support for the fund. You can ‘Become A Friend’ of the charity; this sets up a monthly donation and there are varying levels of donation you can sign up to, with indications of what each donation provides. Visit their website to learn more about what you can add if you ‘Become A Friend’.

You, your company or a company you know can also become corporate sponsors for Peterson’s Fund For Children. Through mutually-beneficial association, you can forge a significant relationship with an exciting charity which is brimming with potential.