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Ten special causes awarded funding by ACT

Throughout the year, we support causes special to colleagues across The Ardonagh Group and around the world through our Community Grant programme.

ACT’s grant programme provides the opportunity for any Ardonagh colleague to apply for up to £5,000 (or equivalent currency) towards a chosen charity to support a project or initiative in need of funding.

2024 saw a record-breaking figure reached with £1 million in community grants awarded since the trust’s inception. Now six months into 2025 we take this figure even higher, with another £50,000 awarded to 10 charities put forward by colleagues.

Read the stories behind each of the causes that have received funding and why they matter to the colleagues who nominated them.

Combatting social isolation, poverty and domestic abuse through a community activities group

Hessle Road Network

Nominated by Rob Worrell – Everywhen, UK

Hessle Road Network is a community-based charity in West Hull dedicated to raising aspirations, self-esteem, and confidence to improve quality of life, particularly in one of the most deprived areas in the UK.

Through a wide range of inclusive programmes—from youth and community activities to domestic abuse support and holistic one-to-one services—they foster resilience, reduce isolation, and generate significant social value, with every £1 invested returning £56.90 in benefits.

Thanks to the £5,000 ACT grant, the charity will be able to continue it’s Monday Night Activity group for another year, which provides a vital touchpoint for many beneficiaries to access services and support.

This charity is one particularly close to my heart; Hessle Road is an area synonymous with Hull, and renowned for its unparalleled community spirit. Since the decline of the city’s thriving fishing industry, this area has unfortunately suffered from severe deprivation, affecting the lives of many.
Rob Worrell, Everywhen, UK

Championing the LGBTQ+ community across Cornwall

Cornwall Pride

Nominated by Matt Ellin – GI, Everywhen, UK

Cornwall Pride champions equality and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community across Cornwall through education, advocacy, and vibrant Pride events that foster visibility, mental wellbeing and community unity.

Facing significant funding cuts, the charity urgently seeks support to continue its vital work, which has deeply impacted individuals and communities across the region. The £5,000 ACT grant will enable several Pride events to take place, which would otherwise have been cancelled.

Pride events in action in Cornwall!
I’ve personally seen the drive and determination that the charity’s leadership team have. I see the work they undertake. I see the outcomes they achieve and their aspirations and hopes to bring communities together.
Matt Ellin, Everywhen, UK

Supporting homelessness across Hampshire and Wiltshire

Alabaré

Nominated by Paul Hodgkinson – GI, Everywhen, UK

Alabaré has supported homeless and vulnerable individuals for over 30 years, offering accommodation and tailored support to adults, veterans, young people and those with complex needs.

The £5,000 grant from ACT will go towards the charity’s Young People’s Wellbeing Service, which empowers 16–25-year-olds through outdoor activities, therapy, and skill-building programmes that improve mental health, build confidence, and create pathways to independence and brighter futures.

I have been involved with Alabaré for over 15 years and have every admiration for the extensive work and support that they provide for the homeless, many of whom have experienced traumatic lives.
Paul Hodgkinson, Everywhen, UK
The young people in our care are going to benefit so much from this funding. I spent some time with a group of them last week, they all deserve the chances and opportunities Alabaré enables for them. Our frontline staff are so inspirational, showing them new experiences and opening their minds to all kinds of possibilities – which often no one has done for them before. This investment works!
Kathryn Furnell, Alabaré

Funding a dream holiday to provide precious time as a family

Give Them a Sporting Chance

Nominated by Jodi Whitehead – GI, Everywhen, UK

Give Them a Sporting Chance is a volunteer-run charity that helps people with disabilities and carers of all ages achieve their sporting or recreational dreams, while encouraging recipients to give back by fundraising for a charity of their choice.

The ACT grant of £5,000 will fund a dream holiday for a family affected by cancer, offering vital respite and joy after a period of intense hardship, while allowing the charity to continue supporting others in need through its unique, pay-it-forward model.

Improving menstrual health for the women and girls of two rural Kenyan villages

The Funzi & Bodo Trust

Nominated by Nathan Anders - GI, Everywhen, UK

The Funzi & Bodo Trust is a volunteer-run charity working in two remote Kenyan villages to improve lives through health, education and poverty alleviation.

The £5,000 funding from ACT will go towards the charity’s latest project to provide reusable sanitary pads, menstrual health education and sustainable sewing skills – through funding initial resources, alongside the training and skills to make them locally. This approach aims to empower women and girls, reduce school absenteeism, boost local economies and promote environmental sustainability—creating long-term impact for over 800 students, 85 farm school women and the wider community.

Women in the village learning to make their own resuseable pads.
Training in action with women and girls in the rural community.
The Funzi & Bodo Trust is a fantastic charity and the ACT grant will provide the skills and equipment for local people to make and supply re-usable sanitary pads to girls and young women. This in turn provides a sustainable local enterprise by providing skills to the community helping alleviate poverty and even improve education by helping young girls to spend more time in school and reach greater academic achievements. It’s also worth noting that there is a positive environmental impact from this initiative in that single-use sanitary pads (where they can be afforded) cannot be easily disposed of. I know the charity trustees who live locally, and I’ve seen firsthand how active they are in the community supporting the cause.
Nathan Anders, Everywhen, UK

Funding vital treatment for women affected by breast cancer

Purple House Cancer Support

Nominated by Nadine Grogan – Arachas, Europe

Purple House is a cancer support centre offering free emotional and practical services to individuals and families, including counselling, physiotherapy and peer groups.

A less known aspect of breast cancer treatment is lymphatic drainage, which is a particular help to women who have undergone a mastectomy or lymph node removal.

The ACT grant of £5,000 will provide additional manual lymphatic drainage sessions for women recovering from breast cancer, easing financial strain and supporting their physical and emotional recovery. This therapy is vital for reducing swelling, preventing infection, and improving recovery outcomes. The funding would support 50 sessions over nine months, benefiting 16–20 women.

The ACT funding will go towards providing manual lymphatic drainage for the women recovering from breast cancer and or those who have undergone surgeries like mastectomy or lymph node removal. It’s not often discussed, but it is crucial to many women’s recovery. Currently, many women have to seek out private therapy. Lymphatic drainage is not covered under many health insurance policies, so Purple House will use this fund to provide this treatment. Giving the cushion of additional sessions, supported by ACT, will allow these women to move forward in their recovery with one less thing to worry about.
Nadine Grogan, Arachas, Europe

Providing bereavement support to children and adults across North Yorkshire

Just ‘B’

Nominated by Jane Collier – Broker Network, Everywhen, UK

A specialist charity providing emotional wellbeing and bereavement support to children, Just ‘B’ supports young people and adults across North Yorkshire.

The £5,000 ACT grant will fund 100 one-to-one support sessions for children and young people coping with grief, delivered by trained professionals using therapeutic resources. These sessions aim to build resilience, reduce isolation, and support healthy emotional development during a critical time in their lives.

Improving children’s literacy through 1-2-1 reading support

Chapter One

Nominated by Dawn Whitehead – HWF, Specialty

Chapter One is a UK-based charity dedicated to improving children's literacy by providing one-to-one online reading support through trained volunteers, particularly targeting disadvantaged children aged 5–8 years old.

Their core programmes connect corporate volunteers with young readers for weekly sessions across the school year, which is exactly what colleagues in HWF and Specialty have been doing.

The £5,000 ACT grant will enable 275 reading sessions, directly enhancing children's reading skills, confidence, and long-term life opportunities.

Virtual volunteer reading sessions have helped hundreds of children across the UK improve their literacy skills.
Last year, HWF started a partnership with Chapter One – giving our team the opportunity to become online reading volunteers for 30 minutes a week with young children struggling with their reading skills. I feel honoured to be paired with a Year 1 reader for this academic year. It’s been incredibly rewarding to watch her confidence and reading ability grow. The ACT grant will fund around 275 individual reading sessions. This will have a direct impact on the lives of children by providing one to one reading support at a time when they need it the most. I very much look forward to continuing volunteering with this wonderful charity.
Dawn Whitehead, HWF, Specialty

Changing children’s lives across Ireland

Aoibheann's Pink Tie

Nominated by Mary Ball – Arachas, Europe

Aoibheann’s Pink Tie offers vital emotional and practical support to families of children undergoing cancer treatment so they can focus on wellbeing and recovery.

Inspired by the memory of Aoibheann Norman, the charity provides emergency care packs, financial aid, respite events and hospital support – ensuring no family faces childhood cancer alone.

Grant funding from ACT will directly enhance these services to facilitate bringing relief and long-term resilience to families across Ireland.

The 2025 Strip+Dip event, with Mary pictured top left in the red hood.
A little boy with his 'chemo duck', to help him understand his cancer treatment.
I am absolutely over the moon and extremely grateful to receive this grant. The money will go a long way to provide practical and financial help for all families going through cancer. No child should have to go through cancer alone, despite their suffering, their eyes light up when they are gifted their little chemo duck that has its own picc or hickman line and other medical equipment to help children visualise and normalise their treatment experience. In these two pictures, you can see our annual Strip+Dip event from this June, where 550 ladies braved the Irish Sea to raise over €80,000 (and over €1.2million since 2013) and the second picture of a little boy with his precious chemo duck. Thank you so much to Ardonagh Community Trust.
Mary Ball, Arachas, Europe

Supporting young children to care for their mental health

Place2Be

Nominated by Phil Bayles – Everywhen, UK

A national charity, Place2Be has thirty years’ experience working with children, families and teachers in UK schools. In addition to one-to-one support and group counselling, Place2Be also trains teachers and parents to better understand and provide wellbeing support.

Already, the charity has made a difference to 40,000 young people. The £5,000 ACT grant will go towards the charity’s mental health services to ensure children, parents and carers can better navigate and respond to emotional challenge.