Our News

Causes around the world receive ACT grants after nominations from colleagues Group-wide

Since the creation of Ardonagh’s independent charity, ACT, in 2017, over £900,000 has been awarded in ACT Community Grants to more than 200 different charities. The causes vary, but all have received funding following a nomination by an Ardonagh colleague for whom the charity is close to their heart.

Through the quarterly ACT Community Grant programme, all Ardonagh employees worldwide can apply for up to £5,000 (or equivalent currency) towards a chosen charity to support a project or initiative in need of funding – with successful applications selected by the ACT board of trustees.

At the halfway point of 2024, ACT awards its second round of grants of the year, with 12 causes receiving a total of £48,800 in funding.

Read the stories behind each of the causes that have received a grant this quarter and why they matter to the colleagues who nominated them. Plus, how you too can apply for an ACT grant.

Training nurses to provide vital palliative care
Katharine House Hospice

Nominated by Michelle Tate Davies – Finch Insurance, Ardonagh Advisory

Katharine House Hospice (KHH) has a special place in the heart of communities in and around Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire in the UK, supporting adults with a range of incurable illnesses. At any one time, the hospice provides care to around 300 people, whether at home, in their own hospice facility, in hospital or in care homes.

Since 2021, KHH has been collaborating with the local hospital trust to improve and expand services, training even more nurses in specialised palliative care. The grant of £5,000 from ACT will enable 10 of KHH’s incredible hospice nurses to complete a nine-week palliative care course over 2024 and 2025.

Michelle took part in this year's Oxford Half Marathon to raise funds for Katharine House Hospice.
I lost my mum five years ago and she spent her last days being cared for at Katherine House Hospice. They provided care not only for my mum but for the whole family during her time there. The care didn’t stop with my mum’s passing, they were also there for us when needed in the days and months after with much-valued support.
Michelle Tate Davies – Finch Insurance, Ardonagh Advisory

Helping young people in São Paulo develop English language skills through radio
Associação Instituto Dah Araujo

Nominated by Victoria Silva – MDS Brasil, Ardonagh Global Partners

Founded in 2018 on the initiative of a small group of people, the Associação Instituto Dah Araujo began by providing food, listening and to homeless people, as well as taking a keen interest in the search for missing persons. From then on, various projects were established by the institute, including several aimed at enhancing the potential of young people.

The £5,000 funding from ACT will be invested in the charity’s ‘Radio English’ project, which will help young people improve their English language skills, particularly children and teenagers on the outskirts of São Paulo. The grant will go towards the set-up of the radio project, maintain computer equipment, improving internet connectivity and ensuring young people have access to headphones.

The Dah Araujo Institute is a really special and meaningful organization for me. It started with just a few dedicated people bringing food to homeless people, but now does impressive work on many fronts. What really impresses me are the projects aimed at young people, which teaches corporate skills and technology, and helps young people reclaim their dreams. This comprehensive approach, which ranges from immediate poverty relief to investing in the future, is exactly the kind of initiative that I believe makes a difference.
Victoria Silva – MDS Brasil, Ardonagh Global Partners

Enabling people to access and experience creative spaces
Royal Exchange Theatre

Nominated by Sara Smith – Atlanta, Ardonagh Retail

Located in Manchester in the UK, the Royal Exchange Theatre is nationally-recognised cultural venue with ambitions to get more people in surrounding communities involved in the arts – working with a whole range of local partners from housing associations to libraries and schools.

Their “Arts Pot” is focused on removing barriers to people of any age so that they can access the theatres many programmes and events, including the Young Company, which provides theatre opportunities to young people; British Sign Language interpretation so deaf people can enjoy theatre; and an Elders programme to help older people get involved.

The £5,000 grant from ACT will be invested into theatre’s “Arts Pot” so that they can get even more people in Manchester and beyond involved in their programmes and productions.

Children getting in the spirit of theatre at the Royal Exchange.
Young people at the Royal Exchange in action on stage.

Helping community members maintain independence
Woodgate Beach Community Bus Inc

Nominated by Bebe Sinclair – Amicus, Envest, Ardonagh Global Partners

The Woodgate Community Bus was the idea of local resident, Margaret. A community first responder, she saw how people were struggling to reach places like shops and doctor surgeries and so she approached a hotel, which at the time had a bus which was used for guests. After asking if she could use the bus when not needed by the hotel, Margaret starts providing a courtesy bus service.

That was in 2015, and since then the bus service has come into its own, enabling residents to attend appointments, enjoy social outings and maintain independence and a high quality of life. With the £1,000 ACT grant, the community bus will be able to continue providing its vital services to people in the town.

I recently spent time in the area recently and the comradery and community spirit of the bus really touched me – especially in a small regional town which can feel cut off from essential services.
Bebe Sinclair – Amicus, Envest, Ardonagh Global Partners

Giving local people opportunities through cookery courses
Instituto Socioeducacional Reaprender

Nominated by Thamires Guedes – MDS Brasil, Ardonagh Global Partners

Instituto Socioeducacional Reaprender takes a two-pronged approach to improving the lives of vulnerable people. The charity is based on Ilha do Governador – the largest island in Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro – and which has a large slum community. As well as a ‘Solidarity Kitchen’ which provide meals and food baskets, the charity also facilitates local people, particularly women, to complete cookery courses to help them find employment.

The £5,000 grant from ACT will go towards both the food relief programme and the cooker courses. The 100-hour practical cooking assistant course is primarily aimed at unemployed women, who mostly live solely off the Bolsa Family allowance.

Supporting young people overcome barriers to employment
Spear Programme at Clapham Junction

Nominated by Ben Kelly – Operations, Ardonagh Specialty

The Spear Programme first launched in Clapham Junction in London in 2012 and have since run more than 60 programmes, supporting more than 900 young people who have encountered challenges and barriers to education. The charity works with local 16-24-year-olds to enable them to access education, training or employment.

Through group coaching and one-to-one sessions, the programme encourages a shift in mindset and practical skills such as interview practice. The six-week course is complemented by a year-long support service, and 80% of those who complete the course go on to secure work or further education. The £5,000 ACT grant will fund a young people to take part in the Spear Programme, to help set them on their way to a bright future and play a role in social change in the city.

Ensuring a lifeboat can continue to look after the community
Metropolitan Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club Inc

Nominated by Paul Lynam – Envest, Ardonagh Global Partners

Members of the Metropolitan Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club have been patrolling Kings Beach on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for over 90 years, since 1933. With over 120,000 each year, the lifesaving service is a vital part of the community infrastructure in the area alongside the volunteers who look after all those who visit the beach.

The £5,000 grant from ACT will be used to purchase a much-needed new motor for the lifesaving club’s inflatable rescue boat. The club recently invested in a new boat to improve the equipment, and the motor will ensure it can be put to effective use as soon as possible.

I became a member of Metropolitan Caloundra Surf Life Saving Club Inc in 1982. I continued to be an Active Lifesaver with Mets until 1988 when I moved away to pursue my insurance career, but it remains a very dear cause. In my years as an active member, it instilled in me the benefit of providing volunteer services to meet a vital community need.
Paul Lynam – Envest, Ardonagh Global Partners

Helping a charity deliver horticultural training to women who have experienced prison
The Glasshouse – Growing for Good CIC

Nominated by James Venton – Price Forbes, Ardonagh Specialty

The Glasshouse aims to help people grow. Working closely with women prisoners reaching the end of their sentence, The Glasshouse offers a second change through horticultural training and employment. The project is bases out of East Sutton Park Prison in Kent, UK, where women are able to begin their journey nurturing and growing house plants, before moving to the charity’s larger facility once released. Alongside the horticulture, The Glasshouse also support women with job placement and housing – all of which reduce reoffending.

Through compassion and practical support, the charity makes a difference not only to the women but their families and people around them – rebuilding trust and resilience. Thanks to the £5,000 ACT grant, the charity will be able to grow into a new office space, near the plant shop. With this extra space, The Glasshouse will be able to provide better facilities for one-to-one sessions and training with women and enable the charity to operate more efficiently.

Inside The Glasshouse where women learn horticultural skills.
“In a small town close to where I live there is a small charity shop called The Glasshouse. The shop sells houseplants and has attracted quite a lot of interest locally as it is almost entirely staffed by female prisoners. Caught short for Mother’s Day I went in and got chatting to one of the ladies who was calm, charming and happy to talk to me about The Glasshouse and how the charity has helped her. Over the course of a few years this 57-year-old went from having a family, a job and a home to finding herself homeless, without support and with a criminal record. The Glasshouse team gave her the opportunity to work with plants, nurture them and to re-train as a horticulturalist. These new skills have helped her restore her self-confidence and with the on-going support of The Glasshouse team, to find a new home and full-time employment meaning she has a future that at one point she could never have dreamed of.
James Venton – Price Forbes, Ardonagh Specialty

Expanding a wellbeing peer support network to further communities
Unmasked Mental Health

Nominated by Leon Carford – Atlanta, Ardonagh Retail

Established in 2019, Unmasked Mental Health was founded by three friends who were unable to access adequate wellbeing support and decided they wanted to ensure no one else found themselves in a similar situation. The area around Calderdale in West Yorkshire, has one of the highest suicide and depression rates in the UK and the charity strives to provide support to anyone who needs it in the community.

Leon, who sits on Unmasked Mental Health’s board of Trustees, has seen the charity develop of the past few years and is passionate about expanding its peer support network. The £5,000 grant from ACT will enable a new weekly support group to be established, adding to the six which already take place in various communities. Reflecting the region, the groups encompass a range of marginalised groups and are a safe space for anyone to connect, share experiences and help one another to access professional support as needed.

My interest in mental health grew through becoming a Mental Health First Aider with Ardonagh. Until I started having conversations with colleagues, my understanding was limited to what I had read about, and I didn't truly appreciate how common mental health struggles are, or just how many people are in really serious wellbeing situations. I was driven to explore opportunities to do more outside of work, which led me to Unmasked Mental Health. UMH shares my vision of helping to improve the ‘right-here and now’ support available. The 'every penny counts' phrase is a cliché, but when you get your hands on a charity's P&L, you realise just how true this is.
Leon Carford – Atlanta, Ardonagh Retail

Supporting people affected by Cerebral Palsy with therapy and rehabilitation
Fraternidade Irmã Clara – FIC

Nominated by Andressa Gallego – MDS Brasil, Ardonagh Global Partners

For 40 years, Fraternidade Irmã Clara (FIC) has served people and families affected by Cerebral Palsy. Through both rehabilitation and occupational therapies, ranging from music to education, FIC aims to improve the quality of lives of people with Cerebral Palsy.

The £1,500 ACT grant will go towards supporting people who live entirely in the FIC facility in São Paulo. The charity hopes to expand so that they can care for even more patients in the centre, who provide them with everything from clothing to speech therapy.

The cause is quite personal to me. My brother is currently one of the charity’s beneficiaries and has been there for over 10 years, coming home on weekends. My brother Pablo has hydrocephalus and needs special care 24 hours a day, which my mother and I are unable to provide. Although we make a monthly contribution, this alone does not cover the costs of doctors, physiotherapists, neurologists and nurses who work there, all of this is done in the form of donations. In addition to my brother, I had the pleasure of meeting other people receiving care, with the most diverse disabilities, but who are all very well looked after by the institution, leading a full life, with all the care and affection.
Andressa Gallego – MDS Brasil, Ardonagh Global Partners

Helping volunteers care for their community garden
Callister Trust

Nominated by Clare Burns – Atlanta, Ardonagh Retail

Founded almost 100 years ago in 1925, Callister Trust originally existed to support the welfare of women and girls in Birkenhead, near Liverpool in the UK. The green spaces it owns have since been utilised to offer a whole array of activities for girls from sport to gardening.

More recently, the charity has hosted ‘Women’s Wellbeing Days’, created a sensory garden and its volunteers have been tending to the spaces to ensure they can be enjoyed by all.

The £1,300 ACT grant will be used to purchase a new tool shed so that the charity can better care for the equipment used by the many volunteers.

Volunteers in action in the Callister Trust's garden.
Several Atlanta colleagues and I live close to Callister Trust, and we’ve all seen the immense value the charity and its green space provides to our local community. The benefits of the garden are far reaching; whether to the many volunteers who cherish their time there, anyone who takes part in one of their wellbeing days for women and young girls, the refugees and asylum seekers who learn gardening skills, people who attend their events and workshops, or who simply visit to seek solace in this welcoming space. It’s an oasis of calm in the built-up area of Birkenhead and offers access to a safe and tranquil environment where you can simply step away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Clare Burns – Atlanta, Ardonagh Retail

Supporting communities affected by a recent typhoon in the Philippines

Kate Martin – Amicus, Envest, Ardonagh Global Partners

In addition to the colleague applications above, our ACT Trustees also awarded a grant in response to a recent typhoon in the Philippines.

The Envest Group has three employees situated in the Philippines, alongside Amicus Insurance Services which utilises contractors in the country to support administrative and broking assistance tasks.

Typhoon Aghon hit the Philippines at the end of May, and affected a community which includes an Amicus colleague. She and her family were evacuated to a refuge centre after their house was lost to flooding.

Amicus colleagues are raising funds to support Jovy, and approached Envest and ACT will be making a £5,000 donation to a humanitarian charity operating in the region to provide relief to affected communities.

How ACT grants make a difference to causes important to our people

To date, ACT has donated over £900,000 in grants to over 200 charities around the world – all nominated by Ardonagh colleagues.

The ACT Community Grant programme is open to all Ardonagh employees worldwide to apply for up to £5,000 (or equivalent local currency) towards a charity with a project in need of funding. The ACT Community Grant programme runs on a quarterly basis, meaning there are four opportunities over the year for our people to apply each year.