Eight charities based in London have received a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to Ecclesiastical Insurance.
The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the specialist insurer’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.
Batten Disease Family Association, providing practical and emotional support to families affected by Batten disease, and London Titans Wheelchair Basketball Club, which offers disabled people access to sport to transform their lives (see notes for full list1), are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.
10,490 London residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 968 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.
Thanking supporters in London, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said:
“At Ecclesiastical, charitable giving is at the heart of our business. In fact, we are the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK*. We are able to give away so much because uniquely, as a financial services group, we are owned by a charity. In these challenging times, we are delighted to be giving back to good courses once more with our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.
“Having supported thousands of charities over the past four years of the campaign, we know that £1,000 can make a real difference to the incredible work that charities do. We’re looking forward to seeing how this festive financial boost will change lives for the better and we hope these donations can bring a positive start to 2022.”
A representative of Batten Disease Family Association said:
“This kind award will help towards the costs of our family support service for families affected by Batten disease. Batten disease is a rare neurodegenerative condition that affects children. It causes a progressive loss of all skills and the development of intractable epilepsy and childhood dementia. We currently support 105 families with 111 children and young people with Batten disease and the community we have build helps families to share their experiences and feelings and as a result, they feel less isolated and alone”
A representative of London Titans Wheelchair Basketball Club said:
“We aim to increase the uptake by both disabled and able-bodied children, young people, and adults, promoting not only healthy activity but disrupting social isolation and positively challenging the myths and stereotypes about the capabilities of people with disabilities. In 2019, we introduced over 450 people to our sport; this funding will enable to purchase more chairs, so we can reach more potential players in 2022 and beyond.”
The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at www.movementforgood.com/12days
