For several years, our team at ARC Fire Safety & Security has been looking for a suitable charity to support. We felt the time was right to try and give something back to a good cause when our MD, Andy Burridge, was approached for a position on the Business Development Board at Wessex Cancer Trust, (now Wessex Cancer Support).
The team at ARC also embraced supporting Wessex Cancer Trust and the company sponsored some of the Trust events, including the Bournemouth Air Show and a track day at the Thruxton motor racing circuit, our team also raised further funds with events such as fire walks, quiz evenings and even skydives. It has been encouraging to see how many team members wanted to be involved.
Wessex Decided in 2023 to disband the Business Development Board. Despite this, ARC is still supporting WCS by sponsoring one of the airshow tables again. In early 2024, Andy was again approached regarding a Fundraising Development Board position at another Cancer support charity, Maggie’s in Southampton.
Maggie’s provides some amazing space, showcasing unique buildings and beautiful gardens, where cancer sufferers and their families and friends can drop in and get a wide range of support and counselling. It seemed the perfect fit with what we are doing with Wessex as well.
Business Recognition
There are two aspects of charity support when it comes to business. Firstly, the charities recognise that business leaders and everyone in the business have very limited time to give. With this in mind, the concept of the Fundraising Board not only provides the charity with possible new connections within the local business environment to grow the fundraising activity and network but also affords the business, new networking opportunities at the same time. The charity is happy with this and sees this as a mutually beneficial scenario.
The second aspect is that we are finding more of our clients are looking at what charity support their suppliers are engaged in. Within the two months before writing this article, two new clients who had invited ARC in to quote for their fire and security maintenance packages, both asked if we supported charities and to what extent:
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We have already engaged with Maggie’s with attendance at a launch event and Andy has also abseiled 100 metres down the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and raised over £500. We are looking forward to the journey with Maggie’s and are excited to see how we can work with them to raise their brand awareness and continue fundraising.
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Another charity we are also looking to support is the RNLI lifeboat station at Selsey in West Sussex. Our Business Development Executive, Max Wiseman followed in his Father’s footsteps and is an integral part of the crew at this station. Max and the team there are constantly putting their lives at risk and going out in all weather to assist boats and people who may be in distress. It is an amazing service, and we are looking to see how we can support this station and its crew in any small way we can.
Our Support
Although it is seemingly becoming almost a ‘necessary’ thing for a business to support a charity, we at ARC have thoroughly enjoyed the work we have done with our nominated organisations and we very much look forward to the relationships and friendships this will continue to bring over the coming years.
If you do read this and would like to get involved in helping support ARC with the support we give, then please do make contact at info@arcfiresafety.co.uk. This could be from getting involved with activities to volunteering at events.
