Manchester-headquartered consumer insight agency Join the Dots raised a total of £22,000 through charitable initiatives in 2018, all of which will be donated to its chosen charity partner, Wood Street Mission.
Over the course of 12 months, the company’s employees took part in a range of individual and team fundraising activities from long distance running – including 10K and half marathon distances, to completing the National Three Peaks’ Challenge, which combines the highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland.
Closer to home, the company hosted a range of events such as regular pub quizzes, bake sales, a mini golf tournament and a book club.
Join the Dots’ in-house creative team also created a mindfulness colouring book to mark the business’ 20th anniversary, featuring illustrated portraits of the staff. The Face Book was sold for £10 – every penny of which went towards the total sum raised for the independent charity.
Wood Street Mission is a children’s charity that helps children and families living on low incomes in Manchester and Salford, providing support with day-to-day needs from clothing to baby equipment, as well as educational costs and book provisions to help improve the lives of those in need.
Des Lynch, manager at Wood Street Mission, said: Thanks to Join the Dots’ fundraising efforts, we will be able to help families with those day-to-day essentials we all take for granted – clothes, bedding, toiletries and so on, as well as continuing our work with Book Clubs, which last year saw over 500 children receive thousands of books and days out during the school holidays. It’s our goal to encourage a love of reading and all the positive outcomes this activity has for their ongoing education.
“The money raised by the Three Peaks Challenge team has allowed us to kit out nearly 180 children as part of our SmartStart project to help them fit in at school and concentrate on enjoying learning, rather than worrying about not having the right uniform. Because of all the toys and gifts donated to our Christmas Appeal, we were able to provide 3,900 children with toys to open on Christmas Day. Helping to create lovely memories at Christmas is something no child should go without.”
Quentin Ashby, CEO of Join the Dots, said: “It’s a remarkable effort from everyone involved and we’re extremely pleased to have raised an amount that will make a real difference to the charity. It’s been a pleasure to do what we can to help the valuable work that Wood Street Mission’s team carries out 365 days a year. We are so thankful for their work and the commitment to the families that they support every single day.”
