We’re always encouraging fire service personnel to reach out to businesses close to them when fundraising and supporting us, to encourage corporate support for our charity in their area.
And a fantastic success story came from Fakenham in Norfolk – all thanks to a local confectionery company.
The company, Kinnerton, has an employee who is also an on-call firefighter in Fakenham, while another employee is friends with a firefighter and understands the value of our charity to all personnel and their families. It was this employee that suggested they choose us to support throughout 2022 with their fundraising activities.
Sure enough, Kinnerton’s staff organised raffles, bake sales and more to raise funds for us throughout last year, and they recently presented a cheque for £1537.51 to our Community Fundraiser, Charlotte Smith.
Charlotte said of the donation: “On behalf of everyone at The Fire Fighters Charity, I want to sincerely thank everyone involved for this kind donation from Kinnerton Confectionery – we hugely appreciate the support. Donations like this go such a long way towards helping us continue offering vital health and wellbeing support to our fire services community. With your help, we can ensure they always have somewhere to turn.”
Richard Nevard, HR Lead at Kinnerton Confectionery, added: “Each year Kinnerton employees nominate charities that have links to the business or to the local area. In 2022 Donna Emptage nominated the fire fighters charity because she understood the value of the service from a good friend of hers who has been a firefighter for many years. The employee engagement group at Fakenham voted to adopt the charity for 2022 and raise money from activities including raffles and bake sales.
“A further link to our business is that one of the firefighters based at Fakenham fire station is Bradley Wright who is also an employee at Kinnerton and we value the important and difficult work that he carries out along with his colleagues across the fire service. I am very pleased that we have been able to raise money for The Fire Fighters Charity that will allow it to continue to support those who need it.”
And Cllr Margaret Dewsbury, Norfolk County Council Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “I want to say a truly heartfelt thank you to all the staff at Kinnerton for their outstanding fundraising efforts in support of the Fire Fighters Charity. The Fire Fighters Charity provides vital support to our firefighters and their families, and it is heartening to see our community come together to help those who serve us so bravely.”
“The dedication and bravery of our firefighters cannot be overstated. They put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe, and it is essential that we support them in return. The Firefighters Charity provides a crucial lifeline for those who need it most, and I am delighted that a local business not only recognises the importance of their work, but has been able to contribute to it as well.”
A huge thank you to all at Kinnerton for their efforts over 2022 – we couldn’t offer the vital support that we do without donations like this.
Do you know a business which could support us?
Are you an on-call firefighter working for a large business in your day job? Do you have a relative, friend or contact that works for a corporation which supports charities? Or are you simply looking at new ways to fundraise for an event or challenge you have coming up?
If the answer to any of these is yes, you could help us to build up our corporate supporter base by reaching out to a business and asking for support for your charity – it really could be as simple as that.
We have launched an Urgent Corporate Appeal this March, looking for businesses and organisations across the UK to help fund mental health support for a growing number of fire and rescue service personnel.
In the last two years alone, a firefighter has secured a £50,000 donation for us, while another started off a four-month charity partnership with a leading forecourt retailer, simply by sending one email. So, why not do the same?
We’re asking you to consider any businesses or larger corporations you know of that could either offer a donation to us or consider us as their charity of choice when it comes to their fundraising efforts.
If you’re an on-call firefighter, the company you work for could offer support to us, particularly if you can explain to them a little more about the work we do. Similarly, if you have a family member or friend who works somewhere outside of the fire service – perhaps they could offer support too? Knowing someone first-hand could make such a huge difference.
If you’d like to find out more or receive some guidance on how to contact potential corporate supporters, get in touch with our Corporate Partnerships and Philanthropy Manager, Debbie Rushbrooke, today at: www.firefighterscharity.org.uk/CorporateAppeal.
