Fortitude & the Northamptonshire Community Foundation
At Fortitude we don’t really believe in luck – intelligent planning and dedication are the way to go when it comes to meeting your goals. That’s as true for us as it is for you.
But we do recognise good fortune when we see it. We’re fortunate to have a dedicated and inspiring team of professionals to call upon, as well as great clients with whom we’ve formed lasting relationships over the years. We’re also really fortunate to be part of a vibrant community in a lovely part of the country.
That’s not something we take for granted. Giving something back is important to us and if you’ve been reading our blogs up to now you’ll know The Northamptonshire Community Foundation (NCF) is a local cause that’s very close to our hearts.
About Northamptonshire Community Foundation
NCF champions community-based initiatives. It’s funded by local businesses with the goal of helping as many disadvantaged people and communities as possible – in their 20 years so far, that help has racked up more than £25m in grant funding.
Traditionally, Richard Peters, one of our financial planners at Fortitude is the go-to guy. He sits on the NCF grants panel and he gets to play a part in selecting the initiatives that receive funding. Last year he presented ‘The Trailblazer Award’ at a special event, joined by representatives from local businesses and nominated charities, along with the Mayor and the High Sheriff.
Still, it doesn’t do to hog the limelight too much and besides, as devotees of continual improvement across the organisation, it’s good to let someone else have a go.
On the awards night Richard was joined by Belinda Stock, so when the opportunity came to attend a charity visit day and Richard couldn’t attend, Belinda was happy to step in. It also happened to be her birthday. Win-win.
Visiting the charities
Every year, the NCF panel receives proposals submitted from local charities for grant funding. The funding has a theme each year and in 2020 that theme is tackling child poverty. So, on 4 December, before the slightest whiff of birthday cake was enjoyed, Belinda joined the rest of the NCF panel on the Daventry community bus to see the charities and their work first hand.
First up, was Rush 2The Den, which provides great value mother & baby groups and activities in Rushden. The group aims to help mums to get out of the house, bonding and interacting with their children and with other Mums too. They don’t leave the Dads out either – they offer a special ‘DAD’s Stay N Play’ on the first Saturday of the month.
Next came Food and fun in School Holidays (FISH) run by the Emmanuel Group of Churches in partnership with Blackthorn Primary School and Growing Together. School holidays might be exciting, but they’re not always enjoyable for every child, so along with providing hot meals for kids and their parents once a week during school holidays, FISH offers entertainment and a chance to check-in with children to see how they are.
Baby Basics is a group made up of volunteers who put together Moses baskets filled with helpful gifts to support mums in need, including those facing financial hardship, coping with domestic violence or experiencing mental health concerns.
They provide much-needed essentials like nappies, wipes, baby clothes and formula wrapped up as gifts, with presents for the mother too. Baby Basics also runs an initiative with a local book charity to include books for the children as well.
Finally, Peak Empower offers kids and young people in deprived areas the chance to learn a skill or sport. They work alongside a healthy eating initiative teaching budgeting skills and using activities to get kids involved. Peak Empower weren’t able to arrange a site visit, but Belinda was still able to read all about their valuable work along with the other NCF representatives.
Discussing the merits of the charities
Even saying ‘discussing the merits of the charities’ sounds a bit lofty. The panel had to evaluate their work, but of course, each of them provides a valuable and much needed set of services. For Belinda the discussions were an even mix of head and heart.
From a business point of view they needed to look at how each charity is run, and how they’d use the money to further improve the work they do, but as Belinda says:
“On the one hand, the money has to be put to good use. But it’s a humbling experience to see the work these charities are doing. I didn’t realise how much help is needed for people in the same county that I live in.”
In the end, the way the NCF works means that once a grant is handed over there’s no follow-up to see how it’s used. It’s entirely a gesture of goodwill, which is why it’s important to understand the charities and their work at the beginning. Still, suitably impressed by the commitment and drive across the board, all four were ultimately awarded a grant, which meant nobody was left disappointed.
Fortitude’s ongoing work with NCF
Naturally we’re delighted that Belinda had a chance to work with NCF and just as pleased that all four charities she had the opportunity to review were awarded a grant. It’s never easy to assess the ‘value’ of charitable work carried out by caring volunteers with no thought of profit, so to be a part of making sure each of them receives help was a proud moment for Belinda and for us too. For her it’s been an inspiration to get more involved in community work (and for others in the team too), and for us it’s another inspiring and rewarding step in our ongoing relationship with NCF.