A Bedford-based mental health charity, which says referrals have been at an all-time high, has been awarded a £10,000 windfall as part of this year’s Ecclesiastical Insurance Group’s Movement for Good awards.
CHUMS Charity is one of 301 charities chosen by a panel of judges that will benefit from the Movement for Good funding, which totalled £1m.
The £10k will allow the charity, which supports the mental health of children and young people, to improve outcomes for the most disadvantaged and vulnerable by promoting good social, emotional and psychological health.
Over 1,000 applications were assessed against four key areas; impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.
Sue Clarke, Head of Fundraising & Communication at CHUMS Charity, said: “CHUMS Charity prides itself on providing children and young people with long-lasting and effective tools to cope going forward so that they can reflect back on what helped in each challenging situation.
“This additional grant funding will enable us to provide a step-change to what we can offer to those waiting for support when referrals have been coming in at an all-time high.”
Mark Hews, Group CEO of Ecclesiastical, said: “We are actively championing innovation, giving charities the backing they need to propel their plans forward and turn creative ideas into practical solutions that benefit society.
“We know that £10,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”
“Ecclesiastical is the fourth-largest corporate donor in the UK. We are owned by a charity which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers.
“As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business.”
210,000 people around the UK supported the Movement for Good awards during its first phase earlier this year, with over 13,000 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes.
The 500 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated and were awarded £1,000 each.
Phase two – including CHUMS – saw over 1,000 project submissions for the £10,000 awards. Following a review of all the applications, a panel of judges made their final selection of the 30 winning projects. The remaining money will be awarded at a later date.
