Crawley charities receive share of £137,500 donation from Irwin Mitchell Charities Foundation

Through the IMCF, colleagues from each of Irwin Mitchell’s regional offices have nominated 28 local foodbanks and homeless charities to receive a share of the £137,500 donation this winter, to support their vital work helping vulnerable people.

This year, the Gatwick office nominated Ten Little Toes and Crawley Open House.

Founded in 1997, the IMCF is an independent charity that has now raised over £3 million for good causes in the UK and abroad.

This year’s donations are made possible thanks to the generosity of Irwin Mitchell and its employees who support the IMCF via the firm’s Give As You Earn scheme.

Supporting foodbanks and homeless charities in the communities in which they operate during the festive season, has become a tradition for Irwin Mitchell and the IMCF.

Due to the cost of living crisis, many thousands of people already rely on the essential services provided by these charities. However, demand for services increases over the winter months due to the impact of colder weather.

Ten Little Toes aims to support families in West Sussex facing crisis and financial hardship by gifting them the essentials.

The IMCF donation will be used to help directly support families over the winter months who are struggling due to cost of living and financial hardship, through the provision of toiletries, nappies, wipes, formula milk and feeding equipment and the purchase of mattresses for cots and beds to ensure safe sleeping for all children aged 0-12.

Providing the essentials allows the charity to reduce pressure on stretched finances and reducing the need to choose between heating and nappies, or eating vs toiletries.

This helps to give families back their self-esteem and raise their sense of worth; enabling them to re-engage with the wider community, and their children to remain warm, dry and ready to grow.

A spokesperson for Ten Little Toes said: “December is a busy month for us all, but we know that as we head towards January, poverty and hardship increases in our communities and families struggle more than ever.

“This donation enables us to ensure we can provide essentials to all those families who find themselves facing a challenging winter, ensuring that children remain safe and warm and parents have peace of mind.

“Irwin Mitchell have been so incredibly supportive of Ten Little Toes Baby Bank over 2023, and we are incredibly grateful for this donation.”

Crawley Open House have offered accommodation and support to those experiencing homelessness and severe hardship locally for 30 years.

This winter donation from the IMCF will be used towards the renovation of the hostel showers and toilets in the spring of 2024, which is the charity’s main fundraising project.

A spokesperson for Crawley Open House said: “Irwin Mitchell have been great friends to us and our work for many years, and generously supported us financially over that time.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing help – we can only continue with our vital front-line work because of such thoughtfulness and generosity.”

Adrian Budgen, a partner at Irwin Mitchell and trustee of the IMCF said: “Support for key organisations in our communities during the festive period has been a hallmark of our charitable work for many years now.

“The IMCF, together with our colleagues at Irwin Mitchell, are proud to be able to continue this tradition and to be able to make our winter donations again this year.

“Life is tough for very many people in our communities right now. The after-effects of the pandemic, coupled with a cost of living crisis, has put huge strain on those most in need. The charities who work to help them face reduced donations, while seeing increased demand for their services.

“We remain absolutely committed to playing our part in supporting vulnerable people where we can.”