Italian appliance manufacturer Smeg has announced that it has named SeeSaw Oxfordshire as its Charity of the Year 2017.
Every year, Smeg UK supports a local or national cause that the whole company dedicates its volunteering and fundraising efforts towards for the forthcoming 12 months. This year, Smeg has chosen a local charity that demonstrates the company’s dedicated passion and excitement for supporting its local community of Abingdon and the surrounding Oxfordshire county.
SeeSaw is a local bereavement charity which provides first-hand and face-to-face support to children and families dealing with loss or grief. SeeSaw provides quick, same day responses and ongoing bereavement support up until the age of 18. Some examples of services provided by the charity include helping children or parents prepare for a funeral. Since being established in Oxfordshire over 15 years ago, the charity has supported over 4,300 children, young people and families. As a member of the National Childhood Bereavement Network, SeeSaw can ensure that it offers the highest standard of support services to young people up until the age of 18 and in 2016 SeeSaw was recognised by winning a GSK Impact Award.
The charity is staffed by trained professionals, supporting local schools and government agencies and Smeg’s fundraising efforts will go towards funding a clinical member of staff for a year; with just eight staff and 12 volunteer support workers providing the excellent work they do, extra funding is crucial to the continued provision of its valuable care throughout the county.
SeeSaw corporate fundraiser Jane Elliot commented: “We are absolutely thrilled to be joining forces with Smeg. As a relatively small charity it is a great privilege to have the opportunity to work alongside such a prestigious company.”
Having provided its services to a member of the Smeg team late last year, this is a cause that is extremely close to the team’s hearts. Smeg HR director Ali Rennie noted: “We’re delighted to be working with such a fantastic local cause which provides great support at a time when children need it most. We’re really looking forward to getting the whole team involved with the charity, via volunteer work such as toll bridge collections and marshalling, through to local events such as Bike Oxford and the Oxford Half Marathon.”
Since going live before Christmas, team Smeg has already raised over £1,000 from its annual raffle and Christmas jumper days with many more events in the pipeline from both Smeg UK and SeeSaw itself, setting the partnership up for a fruitful 2017.
