Legacy
Legacy
Please note: this post is 87 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only
One of the things that our older neighbours tell us they enjoy the most is learning about the businesses that help make London the rich, vibrant and dynamic city it is.
So we were over the moon when – back in January 2017 – AlixPartners agreed to support South London Cares' core programmes. Thanks to the enthusiasm of one of our amazing volunteers Ben, the company were motivated to not only hang out with their older neighbours, but also to fundraise for us too.
And in the first year, they've made a huge difference to their older neighbours in Brixton, Bermondsey and beyond.
Their funding helped us to start Men's Beer and Boardgames, which is now one of our most loved clubs. Every month, on a weekday afternoon, older and younger neighbours meet for a drink over in Camberwell and share stories, laughter and friendship – all alongside a competitive game of Scrabble or Jenga. It's because of this club that we've met wonderful neighbours like Albert, for whom South London Cares has made a huge difference to his life.
We've also run unique, one-off Social Clubs thanks to AlixPartners' support. In 2017, neighbours tried their hand at woodwork with Brixton Remakery, bricklaying with Appreciate Pete, boxing with London Community Boxing and cheese and beer tasting with Southwark Brewery. These clubs have allowed older neighbours to learn some brand new skills and they've tried their hand at things they probably wouldn't have imagined doing. As Tony put it at the bricklaying club, “I’m doing more now than when I was working. Now I’m doing things that I’ve always loved but never got the chance to do.”
We also took a group of older neighbours to the AlixPartners office near Chancery Lane so that they could meet the team and learn about what the company does. As well as sharing conversations with their younger neighbours, Carol, Rene and the gang were also lucky enough to sample some cakes baked by the AlixPartners staff. These fantastic creations rivalled anything on the Great British Bake Off, and were judged by our older neighbours for taste and presentation.
The cakes were later sold internally to AlixPartners staff, which is just one of the many ways that the company has fundraised for South London Cares. Thanks to donations through a Friday drinks trolley, an Open Mic performance, and runners taking on the Royal Parks Half Marathon, £4,339 was raised for South London Cares and North London Cares in 2017.
And to top it all off, their team in Manchester have also signed up to volunteer with our sibling charity Manchester Cares, meaning AlixPartners staff will be some of the first people in our community network in the north of the U.K.
We're chuffed to have the support of AlixPartners and all of those businesses who help make company, conversation and companionship possible across our city. We look forward to seeing what this year holds!