Education charities and schools win share of £120,000

Nine education charities and schools have each won a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to nominations from the public.

The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 as part of specialist insurer Ecclesiastical's annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.

The Anchorage Association which raises funds to assist school projects at The Endeavour Co-operative Academy in Brentwood, Essex, the Seashell Trust which caters for children and young people with complex and severe learning disabilities, and The Friends of Fishergate Primary School, are among the education charities and schools set to receive a £1,000 financial boost. (See notes for full list1).

More than 285,000 people around the UK nominated a cause close to their heart, with over 3,900 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes. The 120 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated.

The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at www.movementforgood.com/12days

Thanking supporters, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “Owned by a charity, here at Ecclesiastical our core purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, so charitable giving is at the heart of our business. We know that £1,000 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. We hope these donations can bring a positive end to a difficult year and a promising start to 2021.”

A spokesperson from The Anchorage Association, said: “The £1,000 donation is very gratefully received and will be used towards the refurbishment of our school library. One of our sincere aims is to equip our learners with the skills to live as independently as possible when they leave The Endeavour. This library will benefit all 120 children and young people at the academy now and for years to come. Thank you from all of us for this donation!”

A spokesperson from Seashell Trust, said: “This donation will enable us to support more families with babies and toddlers who have very complex needs. There is little provision for these families elsewhere and so this weekly service is vital in giving new parents as many tools as possible to cope with and learn strategies to help their infant develop. We know early intervention is incredibly important in ensuring a baby or child can maximize their potential as they progress through our school and college in to their adult life.”

Last year, Ecclesiastical launched its latest Impact Report to celebrate some of the many good causes it has helped.