Our Capital Space centres’ charity donations

Happy New Year, everyone, here’s (hopefully) to a more ‘normal’ 2021! Over the Christmas period, as well as getting caught up in all the festivities, we thought it was important to give back to our local communities and support some charities close to home. Here’s how we’ve managed to help some great causes.

2020 was a year like no other in recent history: we were largely stuck indoors, we couldn’t hug our loved ones and business owners had to completely revaluate their business structures to try to remain relevant in a coronavirus world.

Unfortunately, charities were particularly adversely affected, as their shops were unable to open, their volunteer teams, who are predominantly of an older age, were forced to shield, and many people faced a loss of earnings, meaning they were unable to be as generous in their charity donations as they had been in the past. That’s one reason why we’re thrilled that Capital Space has been able to play its part and raise some money to support local charities.

Our Christmas mission

Christmas is ultimately a time for giving and, in keeping with this idea, we created JustGiving pages for each of our seven centres, to encourage our customers to make a donation to our nominated charities. Usually at Capital Space we host a range of events throughout the year in aid of charity, but unfortunately the pandemic left us unable to do so this year and so we felt it even more important to play our part at Christmas.

As well as the generous donations we received from our customers, Capital Space donated £250 per centre (totalling £1750), to kick off our Christmas appeal. The appeal ended on 31^st December 2020, and we’re thrilled to announce that we raised a total of £2505 for various local charities. We’ve listed the charities and individual totals below.

Curly’s Legacy – St George’s Business Park, Sittingbourne

St George’s Business Park , in Sittingbourne, chose to raise money for Curly’s Legacy, a charity based on the Isle of Sheppey, which is not far from the centre. The charity is run by the Ratcliffe family, who featured on the popular show ‘DIY SOS’ , when Nick Knowles and the team built the dads and their four children (three of whom have special educational needs or disabilities), their dream home.

Having benefitted from the generosity of the complete strangers who helped build their home, the family decided to give back by starting a farm on the land their house sits on, named after one of their children. The animals they’re raising are predominantly rare breeds, such as Ryeland sheep.

Croydon Vision- Capital Business Centre, Croydon

Our customers at the Capital Space Business Centre , have managed to raise £450 for their local charity, Croydon Vision . The charity works with people across different age groups who have been affected by sight loss in different ways. The help they can offer includes “information, advice, advocacy, tech training and counselling services”, with their ultimate aim being to help those with impaired vision to thrive.

Essex and Herts Air Ambulance – Greenway Business Centre, Harlow

If 2020 has taught us one thing, it’s that our key workers – particularly those in the care sector – provide an invaluable service to our communities. That’s why we were so pleased to hear that the Greenway Business Centre in Harlow chose ‘Essex & Herts Air Ambulance’ as the charity they wanted to support.

The charity seeks to save life through, “delivering a first-class pre-hospital emergency medical service” to the people in its jurisdiction. The service they provide would not be  possible without its team of volunteers and the generous donations from the public. We’re proud to have played a part in enabling their helicopters and crew to save lives by raising £350.

Farleigh Hospice – Waterhouse Business Centre, Chelmsford

A big thank-you to our customers at the Waterhouse Business Centre in Chelmsford, who have raised £805 for Farleigh Hospice. The donations will be invaluable in supporting the Hospice’s mission to care for those with a life-limiting illness and supporting bereaved families. The family is partially funded by the NHS, but relies on the generosity of the people of mid-Essex to fund the remainder of the finances that it requires, to help the people that need their help the most.

Willen Hospice – Milton Keynes Business Centre, Milton Keynes

Willen Hospice provides palliative care to people in their local area, and was chosen by the team at the Milton Keynes Business Centre as their charity to support over the festive period. The Hospice was founded in 1974 by a group who wanted to help care for the local community that meant so much to them. Willen is now able to support end-of-life care, both at home and in their hospice. We’re amazed by the generosity of our customers in Milton Keynes, who have raised £280 for this local cause.

The Dream Factory – Loughton Seedbed Centre, Loughton

During Christmas, our customers at the Loughton Seedbed Centre donated money to The Dream Factory, which makes the dreams of children with disabilities or life-limiting or life-threatening conditions come true. The charity was started by Avril Mills after her son, Oliver, died of leukaemia. Before he died, Avril managed to grant his wish to visit a football club and was motivated to continue granting dreams in his memory. We’re honoured to play just a small part in making some children’s wishes come true and we’re pleased to announce that our customers in Loughton raised £370 for this great cause.

The Heart of Kent Hospice – Churchill Square Business Centre, Kings Hill

Our customers in the Churchill Square Business Centre in Kings Hill have been busy donating to the Heart of Kent Hospice, raising £250. The Heart of Kent Hospice cares for people receiving end of life care, aiming to make the most of the time they have left with their loved ones. The care they deliver is always free and they vow to serve anyone who needs them. They care for a wide range of different people, providing compassionate nursing for over 1,700 last year. A big thank you to all our customers who donated, and thanks to the Hospice for providing such an invaluable service.

We were amazed by the generosity of our customers over the Christmas period and we can’t wait to get back to fundraising during 2021, when restrictions permit. If you’re looking for office space that gives back to the local community, please get in touch.