Investec supports rugby-themed educational charity School Of Hard Knocks, in three-year partnership

Investec, a leading financial services group and title sponsor of the Investec Champions Cup, has initiated a three-year partnership with School of Hard Knocks (SOHK), a charity focused on social inclusion through sport. This collaboration aims to offer underprivileged individuals, particularly children, opportunities for personal development and mentorship. Investec will contribute by providing career insights, development days and strategic business mentorship to assist in the charity's growth and expansion efforts. SOHK currently engages over 1,400 pupils across 30 schools throughout England, Scotland, and Wales. Their programs blend rugby training with specialised mentoring and group sessions addressing various topics, including emotional control, resilience and future planning, emphasizing rugby's potential to facilitate positive social change. This announcement follows the successful Investec School of Hard Knocks Girls rugby tournament at Eton Manor RFC, showcasing over 100 girls demonstrating rugby's core values.

April 9th, 2024

Concero Education becomes headline sponsor for SEND charity nasen

nasen - the National Association for Special Educational Needs (SEND) - has announced its new headline sponsor, Concero Education. nasen is the leading charity working with, and for, children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and learning differences. Concero Education explain that their deep-seated desire to drive meaningful impact through expert IT support and strategic development has led to their working with the charity in a new partnership agreement. By working together, nasen and Concero aim to empower inquisitive minds from early years to post-16 and beyond, including those who work with, and for, children and young people with SEND. Together, they will seek to provide children with new opportunities to explore beyond what they thought was possible and give them access to technology that best suits their development.

March 23rd, 2024

Sprague Gibbons to be headline sponsors of 2024's Break the Cycle charity event

Full-service creative agency Sprague Gibbons, in partnership with Alder King Property Consultants, will be headline sponsors for this year's Break the Cycle charity cycling event. Now in its 14th year, the event aims to gather significant funds for three foundations: Bristol Bears Community Foundation, Bristol City Robins Foundation and Bristol Sport Foundation. Sprague Gibbons has supported Break the Cycle since its beginnings in 2010, a testament to the firm's long-standing commitment, highlighted by the active involvement of their Managing Director, Peter Gibbons, who co-founded and continues to participate in the event. Scheduled for June 30th, the event will offer participants a choice of three routes - Gold (100 miles), Silver (66 miles) and Bronze (42 miles) - catering to various skill levels. Cyclists will start at Ashton Gate and explore the Mendips, following a route designed by three-time Olympic cyclist, Oli Beckingsale.

Eastleigh residents sponsor major local tree-planting initiative

In Eastleigh, residents and local people have sponsored and planted trees at Itchen Valley Country Park to help expand new woodland, providing habitats for local wildlife. 268 residents and local people took the opportunity to sponsor and plant a tree at Itchen Valley Country Park over three planting days in January and February, which, with a further 31 sponsored trees that were planted by the Country Parks team, brought the total to 151 new trees for the woodland. It all forms part of the council's Plant Eastleigh campaign to help improve biodiversity and tackle climate change in a drive for residents, businesses and community organisations to plant 160,000 more trees in Eastleigh Borough by 2030. It's part of a project contributing to the England Trees Action Plan, which the government has launched to tackle biodiversity loss and climate change.

February 19th, 2024

GoCardless renews sponsorship of the annual JustGiving Awards

GoCardless, the bank payment company, has renewed its commitment to be the official headline sponsorship for the annual JustGiving Awards this September. This follows a similar partnership for the 2023 GoCardless JustGiving Awards which brought in nearly 20,000 votes for twelve finalists. The sponsorship builds on a two-year relationship which started when JustGiving selected GoCardless to collect recurring donations via Direct Debit. Earlier this year, GoCardless was also named the open banking payments provider for the fundraising platform, enabling the public to make instant, one-off donations through its Instant Bank Pay feature. This year's GoCardless JustGiving Awards ceremony will take place at London's iconic Roundhouse on Wednesday 18th September, 2024, bringing together some of the biggest fundraisers and celebrities in the country under one roof.

January 10th, 2024

Renamed Rathbones Folio Prize seeks new sponsors

The Rathbones Folio Prize is being renamed as The Writers' Prize. After concluding a seven-year collaboration with Rathbones Investment Management, the prize maintains its funding level at £36,000, via contributions from private individuals, the book industry's businesses and trusts and members of the Folio Academy - but seeks new sponsors. For 2024, the Folio Academy will take on the role of determining shortlists and winners, administered through a partnership with NetGalley. Open to all UK-published 2023 literary works in English, the Prize is the primary initiative of the Literature Prize Foundation (also responsible for the Folio Academy Mentorships that support budding young writers). Notably, the charity is the only international, English-language literary award nominated by an academy of writers.

Paddy Power pledges £1,000 to Prostate Cancer UK for every 180 at world championship

Paddy Power, the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC), and Prostate Cancer UK have collaborated for THE BIG 180 initiative, coinciding with this year's Paddy Power World Darts Championship at London,s Alexandra Palace from December 15th, 2023 to January 3rd, 2024. Paddy Power will donate £1,000 for every 180 score (the maximum score in darts) achieved during the tournament, aiming to support Prostate Cancer UK's research and assistance for those affected by prostate cancer. In the previous year, players hit 901 scores of 180, suggesting a potential for nearly £1 million in donations. The initiative also focuses on early diagnosis and accurate treatment, alongside a campaign to encourage 180,000 darts fans to use Prostate Cancer UK's 30-second risk checker to assess their prostate cancer risk.

November 30th, 2023

Tesco launches Nature Programme with increased support for water commitment

Tesco is intensifying its commitment to addressing water pollution and environmental risks in the food industry by launching the Tesco Nature Programme. This initiative centres on five key areas: protecting nature in sourcing regions, scaling innovations for biodiversity, implementing a nature plan across Tesco's operations, leading research on food system challenges, and fostering cross-sector engagement. While continuing to collaborate with WWF and other retailers, Tesco will support water stewardship efforts in key sourcing areas. It's backing WRAP's Courtauld 2030 Water Roadmap, with a focus on collective action projects to tackle water risk. Tesco is also encouraging suppliers in the River Wye catchment to align with these goals. The Nature Programme also seeks to advance sustainability in supply chains, promoting biodiversity monitoring tech and low-carbon fertilisers. LEAF Marque certification will be expanded to enhance biodiversity in Tesco's produce supply chains.

Contact

Please send press releases to Richard Fox at rf@uksponsorship.com