The Charlie Waller Trust and dunnhumby

Corporate partnerships play an important part in our work and we’re fortunate to have some great partners, like dunnhumby. The partnership was originally set up for a year but was so successful that it was extended for a further 12 months. 

Choosing the right partner

When it comes to choosing a charity partner, all employees are encouraged to make nominations and then vote for their preferred option. The Trust was nominated by Kitty Bevan, a member of the Helping Hands group. She explains: “I learned about the CWT through my close friend Connor Kelly, who the Trust supported through a difficult period of his life. Through him, my eyes were opened to the incredibly important work they do, and I was inspired to find a way to contribute.’ That is backed up by Amy Clifford, who is also a member of Helping Hands and who lost her younger brother, Christopher, to suicide in 2019, shortly after leaving university. She says: “The work of the Trust really resonated with me because they’re helping young people but also the people around them, like university staff, so that they can better support people feeling the same way as my brother.”

They also organised their own events, such as a tennis tournament to coincide with Wimbledon, and employees have taken on their own challenges, including the Derry family, who cycled 510km across France. For Amy, the highlight so far has been dunnhumby’s annual Christmas auction. This includes a raffle, silent auction and traditional auction, with prizes donated from partner brands and the executive board.

Amy says: “It’s probably the most stressful to plan but it’s really enjoyable and rewarding. It was wonderful to have Helen [from the Trust] there and for everyone to hear from her about how the money is helping. I’m really proud that even when money was tight, we were still able to raise a lot ... – and that’s because it was so clear what the money was put towards and how it would help people.”

Mental health awareness

As well as fundraising, there was a focus on promoting the Trust’s services. “We were able to help raise awareness,” she says, “for example by getting parents who work for us to talk to the schools their children go to. We have a leaflet stand in the kitchen full of the Trust’s resources on important topics like self-harm, which parents can find helpful. During mental health awareness week, we held Chat for Charlie sessions to help our own employees and to encourage them to talk about their mental health.”

A true partnership

Helen Franks is the Trust’s Corporate Partnership Manager and met regularly with members of the Helping Hands team throughout the partnership, which really helped cement the relationship. “It’s been a true partnership,” says Amy, “which is why we extended it for another year. Meeting with Helen every month helped exponentially. It meant we knew what events the Trust was organising and could encourage our staff to get involved.

“Having Helen at our events was really special, as was being able to brainstorm ideas with her. Our tennis tournament is now an annual event – a really great legacy of the partnership.

David Clements is Chief Strategy Officer at dunnhumby and an advocate for the Helping Hands Committee and their work. He said: “We are delighted with our Charlie Waller partnership both in terms of the engagement from our colleagues to support such an important cause, alongside the fun, energy and enthusiasm around fundraising activities, inspired by the CWT team."

For Helen, dunnhumby was the model corporate partner. She says: “The charity committee dedicated so much time and energy to organising the events, all alongside their day job. Thank you to everyone at dunnhumby who has made this partnership such a success.”