My organisation encourages charitable activities
The
single best example of a community initiative is Skipton's Charity Challenge.
Their aim was to raise £50,000 as a company for their two chosen charities of
the year - IDAS and SELFA. Rather than just encouraging their staff to
take part in fundraising events, they invited them to take part in a ten week
fitness programme which included the well-known fitness sessions ‘spinning’ and
‘body pump’. These sessions are open to all staff and, to encourage the highest
participation possible, the sessions take place in work time and are funded by
the company, allowing employees to get fitter and then eventually raise money
for good causes without having to give up their valuable spare time. 67 out of
202 took part in the ten week programme and then all went on to take part in a
physical challenge. Challenges included
their 26 mile walk/run, the Yorkshire Three Peaks, The Yorkshire Dales Cycle
Way - 130 miles and their Head Office Cycling challenge of cycling double the
distance of the UK route of the Tour de France. As a result so far in 2014 they
have raised £42,000 for IDAS and SELFA with more fundraising events yet to come
for the rest of the year! The two charities of the year are currently:
Independent Domestic Abuse Services (IDAS) – Formerly known as Craven Domestic
Violence which was founded in 2000, and becoming IDAS in 2011, this charity
provides comprehensive support services to all males or females experiencing or
affected by domestic abuse, including the affect domestic abuse has on
children, working in the Craven, York, Harrogate, Hambleton and Richmondshire
areas.