Back in March, we published an update on our staff charity initiative and we wanted to share another as we’ve recently donated an incredible £29k to a host of new charities.
For the benefit of those of you who missed it, as part of our ongoing Do Some Good campaign, we launched a new staff charity initiative to get the entire team more involved in our philanthropy.
Michael Scott, Lazy Susan’s head honcho is always trying to do more for good causes and, as a big thank you for the team's hard work and dedication, we wanted to give them the opportunity to support a charity close to their hearts.
Just before Christmas, each member of the Lazy Susan team was invited to donate to a charity of their choice. It could be an organisation that's helped them personally or supported a close friend or family member. It could be a charity campaign they spotted on Go Fund Me or Just Giving that struck a chord. They pick, and we make a donation.
Alex Clarke, Head of Marketing had the following to say about it:
The staff initiative is a great way for us to continue the good work we've done and reach some new charities that maybe aren't on the radar of Michael and I. Since the inception of our Do Some Good campaign in 2015, we've raised over £260k thanks to the photographs our customers send us of their new Lazy Susan Garden Furniture in situ. We wanted to do more though. Our target for 2022 is to raise over £150K. We were very close last year. The staff donations are a great way to get the whole Lazy Susan team involved, help them support a charity close to their heart, and push us towards our ambitious fundraising target for the year.
Our latest staff charity initiative donations
This month we wanted to share a further update on the details of the latest round of staff donations and who the team chose to support in their own words. Some have donated to the same charity, others have picked new, however, one thing is certain, it's a really eclectic mix of worthy causes.
Also, some of the team wanted to keep their donations private and, of course, we fully respect that, so we've included them anonymously. However, this time, we also upped the donations from £500 to £1000 per charity...
Janine Brauer: UK Shaolin
UK Shaolin is an organisation that exists to preserve art and culture by delivering educational initiatives and physical activities.
UK Shaolin improves and supports people's health and wellbeing through physical and mindful activities as well as engages the community in arts and cultural activities to explore different heritages. They currently need support to reestablish a local facility in Southampton to offer more of their services and keep young and old people active and well. This is close to my heart, as I'm actively involved in their services and experienced the benefits to health and wellbeing myself and saw the benefits in participants too.
Find out more about UK Shaolin
Michael Scott: Doctors without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, is an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation of French origin best known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.
The war on Ukraine seems to me to be a very important cause to support. Many families in Europe and UK are opening their homes to refugees fleeing this conflict. I would like my donation to support this great charity that provides excellent medical support.
Find out more about Doctors without Borders
Ben Wheatley: Macmillan Cancer Support
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and they provide specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.
When I had Hodgkins Disease Lymphatic cancer 20 years ago. Macmillan Cancer Support was a source of support during a difficult time. They help people who go through far greater challenges (I was always told that I was fully treatable) at crucial points in their lives when they need this support.
Find out more about Macmillan Cancer Support
Nadine Pinnock: Bigmoose
Bigmoose is on a mission to raise £1,000,000 by the end of 2022. All money raised will be invested in therapy and early and timely intervention. the goal is to help people with their mental health, prevent suicide and reduce homelessness.
If I may I am choosing the same charity as before, Bigmoose holds a special place in my heart and they have an incredibly ambitious fundraising target of £1 million to hit in 2022. I believe it will make a huge difference.
Alex Clarke: The Moving on Project
The Moving On Project’s vision is to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of young people aged between 11-25 in Fareham, Gosport and surrounding areas so that they can achieve their full potential.
This charity was very close to my grandad who passed away in December, so a donation in his memory would be a fitting send-off. The Moving On Project’s vision is to improve the emotional health and wellbeing of young people aged between 11-25 in Fareham, Gosport and surrounding areas so that they can achieve their full potential.
Find out more about the Moving On Project
Abderrahman Echchahed: Project Soar
Project Soar works to empower adolescent girls, providing programs that help girls understand their value, voice, body, rights and path.
Project Soar (PS) will provide rsustainable period supplies to teen girls across Morocco. Having access to period products allows girls to stay in school, leading to reduced child marriage and teen pregnancy. With the support of this project, PS can provide eco-friendly, shame-free, and hygienic period supplies to 2,000 teen girls. PS does not use reusable pads but sanitary, healthy period underwear that can be completely cleaned, doesn't stain + doesn't embarrass girls when hung to dry.
Find out more about Project Soar
Sammy Pett: The Eve Appeal
The UK's Gynaecological Cancer Research Charity raising awareness & funding research into five gynae-cancers: Womb, Ovarian, Cervical, Vulval and Vaginal.
The Eve Appeal is the leading UK national charity funding research and raising awareness about the five gynaecological cancers. It's a charity close to my heart after losing my Nan to cancer and my friend is currently battling cervical cancer.
Find out more about The Eve Appeal
Katja Howell: Jacob’s Well Care Centre
Jacob's Well Care Centre was founded in 1992 by Stuart & Angela Pottinger. Originally set up to provide free furniture for those in need in Gosport and surrounding areas the charity now runs many diverse community projects, including our open Store Cupboard.
This time I chose a local charity, they do amazing work in the Fareham, Gosport community, hands-on help, providing food, and school uniforms and are very present in their local community. Recently they sent several lorries full of clothing and toys to Ukraine. I know the owners and know, this is going to the right people who are in need.
Find out more about the Jacob's Well Centre
Jose Zegarra: La Vida Project Amantani
La Vida supports Amantani's Graduate Programme, helping girls in the Boarding Houses to graduate from school and to transition into their new lives.
Amantani provides disadvantaged girls of Ccorca, a small rural community outside Cusco (Peru), with educational boarding houses to stay in near school avoiding eight hours daily walk. In addition, it helps girls to graduate from school and obtain high-quality further education and formal employment. In 2008 only 35 students received secondary education in Ccorca and no girl was in higher education; today 221 pupils are enrolled in secondary school and 40 will graduate in 2017. I have chosen this charity because I have the opportunity to witness the level of poverty and lack of education in these small communities in my country of birth. The lack of education in the rural areas of Cusco has been a constant problem for many years.
Ashley Metcalfe: LAM Action
LAM Action is a charity that provides support, information and encouragement to women with the rare lung condition of lymphangioleiomyomatosis and their families.
LAM is a rare lung disease that occurs almost exclusively in women. For every million women approximately 7 will have LAM. We are aware of approximately 400 women in the United Kingdom who have LAM and around 25 new cases are diagnosed each year. It appears to occur worldwide and to be equally rare in other countries. A very close friend of mine was diagnosed with LAM over 10 years ago and due to the rarity of the disease, the foundation does not get a lot of exposure or support. This donation would help them continue to provide support for UK sufferers.
Find out more about LAM Action
Other donations where the team would like to remain anonymous have gone to the following charities:
The Trussell Trust
The Trussell Trust is an NGO and charity that works to end the need for food banks in the United Kingdom.
Find out more about The Trussel Trust
St Swithun’s Catholic Primary School
St. Swithun’s Catholic Primary School work hard to offer its children a strong spiritual and moral base, a rich, exciting, and challenging curriculum, and a stimulating learning environment, enabling them to reach their full potential.
Find out more about St. Swithuns Building Fund
L214 Éthique & Animaux
L214 is a French animal rights organization. It was founded in 2008 by the action group "Stop Gavage" for the abolition of foie gras, which now continues its actions within L214.
Social Farms & Gardens
Social Farms & Gardens is a UK-wide charity supporting communities to farm, garden and grow together. Its mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the environment through nature-based activities.
Find out more about Social Farms & Gardens UK
DogsnHomes Rescue
The DogsnHomes mission is simple, to rescue dogs from Portugal and the UK and find them their forever homes.
Find out more about DogsnHomes
Pompey In The Community
Pompey in the Community is an award-winning charity which harnesses the motivational power of Portsmouth Football Club.
Find out more about the work Pompey In The Community do
Sea Shepherd UK
Sea Shepherd UK is a registered marine conservation charity whose primary mission is to end the destruction of habitats and illegal killing of wildlife around the UK's coastline and across the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect marine ecosystems and species.
Find out more about Sea Shepherd UK
Egyptian Food Bank
Egyptian Food Bank started a campaign under the name "Supporting Day Labour, a Social Responsibility" on March 20th. The deterioration of the economic status due to COVID-19 has affected a large number of employees and workers, especially Day labourers. The campaign aims to distribute 3,000,0000 feeding boxes to the Day Labor whose daily pattern was and will be negatively affected more than any other criteria of workers.
Find out more about the work The Egyptian Food Bank is doing to support Labour Day
Save the Children
Save the Children was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.
Find out more about Save the Children
Save the children: Yemen Crisis Appeal
It's a perfect storm of humanitarian, protection and economic crises, with each fuelling the other. Save the Children are in Yemen making sure children are safe, have good food, access to healthcare and can keep learning.
Find out more about Save the Children's Yemen Crisis Appeal
Mind
Mind is a mental health charity in England and Wales. Founded in 1946 as the National Association for Mental Health, it celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016. Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf.
Beat Eating Disorders
Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. Founded in 1989 as the Eating Disorders Association, its mission is to end the pain and suffering caused by eating disorders.
UNICEF
UNICEF is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children worldwide.
On behalf of our colleagues who did not select their own charity, we also donated £7,000 to UNICEF to support the children of Ukraine.
Helping the British Heart Foundation to fund life-saving research
As part of the wider ongoing Do Some Good campaign, Lazy Susan has raised over £64,000 for our charity partner, the British Heart Foundation, with garden furniture donations they can resell in their home stores.
Back in 2020, COVID-19 had wreaked havoc on many charities, and the BHF was one of them. They were facing up to the very real prospect of having to close some of their retail stores from which millions of pounds worth of funds are normally raised.
According to the BHF website, it cut their ability to fund new research in half, and during a time when the population’s heart health was at a bigger risk, this funding was more needed than ever before.
On the 21st of December 2020, we made our first large donation of 150 chairs and 33 tables with a net value of £4,625 to be sold in their BHF Home Stores across the UK. But we didn’t stop there...
By reselling our garden furniture sets, the BHF has now generated over £64k, with the money going directly towards saving lives!
The £100 million worth of vital research funded by the BHF each year spans all heart and circulatory diseases and the causes behind them. This includes heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes.
The work the BHF has funded over the last 60 years has transformed heart health for the better, and here at Lazy Susan, we are proud to support a charity that creates such a profound positive change in the lives of many.
Help Us Build a School in Ghana
Also, as part of our ongoing Do Some Good campaign, we've been working closely with Arms Around The Child, a charity that aims to build a better environment for children living in extreme adversity.
In 2021 we donated £10k to help them deliver clean drinking water to Becky’s Home for Children in Senya Beraku, Ghana.
This incredible work is all down to our customers and the hard work and dedication of the Lazy Susan team. As is our nature here at Lazy Susan, Michael and the team wanted to do more though…
During discussions with Ellie Milner, Global Director of Arms Around The Child, we discovered how we can support the charity further with an even more ambitious donation.
For this one, we could also use your help, so to find out more, please read our help us build a school in Ghana post!
How you can help us Do Some Good?
You can get involved, by following these 3 simple steps:
Snap
1. Find your garden's best side and snap a photo to show us your Lazy Susan garden furniture.
Share
2. Send your photo to [email protected] or tag @lazysusanfurniture on Facebook or Instagram.
Review
3. Leave a product review on Trustpilot or Google.
For every photo we receive, we will make a donation to charities that we care about!
And we don’t mind if it's in sun, rain or snow, as long as our garden furniture is taking pride of place on your patio, balcony or wherever!
If you're in need of some inspiration, take a look at our Customer Photo Gallery or Instagram - you may even get featured!
Help us Do Some (more) Good in 2022!