Barcan+Kirby tell us about their support for 1625 Independent People

Barcan+Kirby have been a fantastic supporter of 1625ip. They have come up with loads of fun and creative fundraising challenges, and showed their passion to support charities local to them.

Read on to hear their account…

We took 1625 Independent People on as our charity of the year in 2020 and had lots of ideas for fundraising activities to help support the wonderful work they do. But then, coronavirus hit and we went into a national lockdown…

Not only did Covid-19 and the various restrictions that came with it mean that we had to put our fundraising on hold, but 1625ip would need our support more than ever as they struggled to find ways to support young people who were at risk of homelessness whilst, we were instructed to stay at home.

With what felt like every aspect of our lives going virtual, it was time for us to get creative about how we could fulfil our promise to support our charity of the year and raise funds for 1625ip.

What we did

Until Covid-19 meant most of our staff had to work from home, all employees took part in ‘Dress Down Friday’ and donated to 1625ip to do so. We’ve also taken part in various sweepstakes, including for the Euros 2020, with entry fees and winnings donated to the charity.

During the periods where our offices were permitted to open to the public, we placed donation tins on our reception desks so that clients and visitors into the office could donate to 1625ip while they were making an appointment or enquiring.

In December 2020, our Charity and Social Committee hosted a virtual festive quiz for our staff. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, we wouldn’t have a Christmas party but we could at least have a laugh on-screen whilst raising money for 1625ip. Around 40 members of staff attended the quiz, each paying a donation to take part. The winning team was aptly named ‘Professor Quiz Whity’ and we raised £310 in total.

By June 2021, much of the Covid-19 restrictions remained and the majority of us continued to work from home. Once again, our Charity and Social Committee put their heads together and came up with the Barcan+Kirby June 1625 Challenge. We asked colleagues if they’d like to pledge to do 1625ip of something which could be sponsored, in an effort to raise money for 1625ip.

Various staff members joined together to take on the challenge, and our Marketing, HR, Client Relationship and Compliance teams pledged to do 162.5km of something throughout June. Weather-wise, the month was a washout, but we completed the challenge and raised £180 for the charity.

Why we did it

“We’ve been so proud to work with 1625 Independent people during 2020 and 2021. The charity works tirelessly to assist young people within Bristol who are becoming homeless, and we’ve been grateful for how their services have helped those affected, especially in the last year. At Barcan+Kirby we’ve raised funds through quizzes, sweepstakes and dress down days, and hope to continue more fundraising activities as our staff start returning to the offices this year.”

• Stephanie Evans, Chair of the Social and Charity Committee

 “We are so thankful to Barcan+Kirby for showing their non-stop support over the last 2 years. Even during the height of the pandemic, they continued to fundraise and back 1625ip and for that, we are so grateful.”

• Jodie Bennett, Community Fundraiser

Coming up…

1625ip told us that they had spaces in the Great Bristol Run on 19^th September 2021. We have a couple of employees who are taking part and fundraising for the charity. We look forward to cheering them on and further supporting 1625ip through the sponsorship.