Local business supports local charity to raise nearly £1,500 within a few hours.

We are excited to be working with employees from our local Brewin Dolphin office as we build our newest corporate partnership.

Knowing Brewin Dolphin’s Juliana Silva and Wolfie Papirnik, and the business’s passion for supporting local charities, our Fundraising Manager Sarah Caldwell was keen to engage them with Services For Education (SFE).

Corporate volunteering was the obvious choice, at least to begin with, and being SFE we have something unique to offer. No painting walls or gardening in the cold with us, instead it’s the experience of enjoying music and sharing it with others.

After inviting Juliana and Wolfie to our Festive Concerts in December, and subsequently SFE being invited to talk to the wider office team about our work, we were delighted to have several employees show an interest in working with us. Volunteer forms, DBS checks and photo IDs later, our Spring Concerts and Galas were the perfect introduction.

Over the course of a few evenings, volunteers joined Sarah, and the Ensembles Team, supporting Fundraising and Front-of-House activities, welcoming guests, and helping raise nearly £1,500 towards our Music Ensembles. Not only that, but they also got to be part of the audience, seeing our young musicians from across the city showcase their musical talents.

Jayne Foxall, one of the first volunteers involved said ‘We had a fantastic evening volunteering for SFE at their Ensemble concert. It was a pleasure to help raise money for a wonderful cause and be lucky enough to see the results of how SFE help talented young musicians by being invited to watch the concert, which was amazing!’

This was the start of what promises to be an engaging partnership with employees at Brewin Dolphin and we look forward to building and developing it further. We already have people signing up to support our Outdoor Festival in May and Summer Proms in July, which is fantastic.

Sharon Bell, SFE Chief Executive, commented further ‘We are delighted with the success of our developing partnership with Brewin Dolphin. We have a large team of colleagues on site during our concerts, looking after our young people and ensuring the concerts run smoothly. Our Brewin Dolphin colleagues have provided valuable additional presence front of house, welcoming our audience and raising the profile of our charitable purpose – in turn leading to increased donations. Thank you!’

You can find out more about the ways in which your business can support us here.