In 2022 Agiito proudly donated over £32,000 in gifts, charity fundraising and time spent volunteering for causes across the UK.
Since April 2022, our Community Team has helped raise over £7,233 as part of our ambitious £10,000 fundraising target for Macmillan. This was achieved through a series of activities throughout the year, including bake sales, sweepstakes, auction and fitness challenges. Again this year, we took the more sustainable option and sent our valued customers, partners and suppliers an e-Christmas card. For each card we sent, Agiito made a donation to Macmillan to promote the charity and further support the essential support Macmillan provide.
Hannah Lumb-Smith, Regional Fundraising Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, explained the impact of this fundraising: “The fundraising efforts of the Agiito team will make a huge difference, with the amount raised so far being enough to give grants to 20 people living with cancer, fund a Macmillan nurse for 221 hours or even cover our support team to answer 430 calls – all of which provides specialist medical, practical and emotional support. With just ¼ of their fundraising target remaining and lots of activities in the pipeline, I’m sure they will achieve this.”
Some of the more recent life-changing donations include office furniture, school uniform, corporate clothing and children’s books to local projects, as well as regular donations to foodbanks, amounting to over £15,000. This also includes the 200-plus winter accessories, socks and toys as part of Village Hotels' Winter Warmer collections.
More recently, Agiito's Community Team used some of their funds to help a local family in need so the children can enjoy Christmas, referred by the Revive Healthy Living Centre Secret Santa appeal. They also arranged for their old mobile phones to be donated to Revive Healthy Living Centre, who are supporting vulnerable people near the Agiito Head Office in Derby.
This collection is just one of the four Christmas collections our people have been contributing to in December. Their people have also been spreading the love by donating personalized boxes for the Belper Christmas Shoebox Appeal, aimed at adults who are living in care homes or are alone at Christmas.
Our people also donated their time. In just a few months, they clocked up over 485 hours’ worth of volunteering at different projects nationwide, from sports clubs and children’s charities to foodbanks.
“It’s important for us as a business to have a positive impact on our local communities, but also empower our people with this mindset and provide the opportunity for them to give back – whether that be with their time or donations,” said Kirsty Given, Director of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, at Agiito.
“I set up the Community Team at the beginning of 2022 and I’ve been overwhelmed by how much we've achieved in such a short space of time – not only the record amount we have raised, time volunteered and the items we have donated – but the impact these activities have had and how this sense of giving back has really been embedded in the Agiito culture.”