In a multicultural city like Bristol, we rub shoulders with people from all walks of life and this diversity is what gives the city such a booming cosmopolitan reputation. We love this city, it has been our home for generations and we are committed in every way to making our city the best it can be. As an independent business we strive to help Bristol grow in many ways, one of these being through our ongoing commitment to local charities.

We’ve spent the past year fundraising for @UrbanPursuitBristol. They have dedicated themselves to working with young people in Bristol, who are struggling to stay in education. Often, the struggle stems from situations outside of their control that have knocked their confidence and shaken their character. Through extreme sports and 1-2-1 mentoring, Urban Pursuit builds them back up and helps them re-engage with education and furthermore,  their future.

It’s amazing the variety of fundraising you can do in a year and the best fundraisers give people an extra motivation to donate. A bunch of us turned up for an introduction to @BristolPaddleBoarding who donated a complimentary session to us. We all paid anyway and that meant 100% of the money went to Urban Pursuit! In light of the number of people who came, it was our most generous activity by far! 

We’re a spread out company, located across several different buildings in Clifton and it can be hard to do the usual round-robin office fundraising. So, always thinking outside the box, a lot of our activities looked like bake sales hosted by all our hotel receptions or pub quizzes in our restaurants. Creative thinking is a must. Not only do novel ideas encourage generosity, but they’re also fun and bring teams together.

We’re not saying this to blow our own trumpets - if anything, we’re saying it to inspire other small businesses to branch out into fundraising. It was five years ago that we decided to support a different Bristol charity each year and we’ve never looked back.

Last year was our best fundraising year yet with over £2400 raised for Urban Pursuit! In the year to come we’ve chosen the Bristol charity @One25 as the next recipient for our fundraising efforts. They work with vulnerable women in Bristol, rehabilitating them to safety, empowerment and employment.

Believe us, you’re never too small to fundraise and literally every penny counts. So come on Bristol, let’s support those doing transforming work in our city!