Ulster Bank’s flagship community initiatives support NGOs across Ireland and students
Through their community programmes Ulster Bank aim to deliver sustainable long-term benefits that positively impact on the communities they serve. Check out their latest achievements: from raising €432,000 as part of their One Week in June initiative and providing grants to not-for-profit organisations to fostering entrepreneurship in young students.
Ulster Bank’s One Week in June campaign raised €430,000 for charities in the last month.
Seven Irish charities are celebrating a record-breaking fundraising campaign with Ulster Bank, which saw €432,000 raised within the past month as part of the bank’s One Week in June initiative.
Each year One Week in June sees thousands of Ulster Bank staff raise money to support charities across the island of Ireland. This year the charities set to benefit include Laura Lynn Children’s Hospice, Barnardos, the Simon Community, the Irish Cancer Society, Depaul Ireland, Barretstown, and The Irish Hospice Foundation.
The bank’s executive team have sponsored the campaign over the last three years, joining in with the fundraising through sponsored runs, cycles and marathons. This year they also raised money by setting up a mobile ice-cream stall which they wheeled around the floors of Georges Quay serving ice-cream to their staff in return for donations. Across the bank people took part in a popular 10k Charity Challenge, as well as sponsored cycles, swims and skydives, charity runs and bake sales.
To date One Week in June campaign – which is a key part of the bank’s community involvement strategy – has raised more than €1.1 million for 20 charities and community groups throughout the island of Ireland.
Commenting, Michelle Reynolds, Fundraising Manager at LauraLynn Children’s Hospice, said: “We are so impressed by the dedication of the Ulster Bank staff who took part in the One Week in June campaign and the commitment they made to raising money through activities such as kayaking the River Liffey, running a marathon or bake sales. To surpass the fundraising target by over €130,000 is a huge achievement and something that is greatly appreciated by us in LauraLynn and by all of the charities involved. The portion of funds raised for LauraLynn will be put to great use, so I want to thank all the staff for getting behind this campaign and making this possible.”
Skills & Opportunities Fund
Ulster Bank’s new Skills & Opportunities Fund opened for applications from not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises on 11th May, providing grants of up to £35,000/€40,000 for projects in disadvantaged communities across the island of Ireland. Applications are currently being shortlisted and decisions on the final grants will be made in early July.
The focus of the Fund is to give community organisations the funding they need to deliver projects that help people to access education, skills and opportunities. In turn, these projects will enable more people to find employment or start a business.
The initiative is the first all-bank initiative across the UK and Ireland, uniting RBS brands behind a single ambition and demonstrating how the bank will in future activate fewer, bigger programmes to support more of its employees, customers and communities behind a common cause.
For more information about the Skills and Opportunities Fund, visit Ulster Bank website
BBC Apprentice star congratulates young entrepreneurs
Young entrepreneurs from schools across Northern Ireland have been getting into business through Young Enterprise’s QuickStart Programme, which Ulster Bank has supported since 2009. The programme enables students aged 12-16 to develop a marketable product and business plan under the guidance of a Young Enterprise volunteer business adviser and Ulster Bank mentor over the course of 8-10 weeks. The young entrepreneurs then produce and have the opportunity to sell their products at specially organised Young Enterprise Trade Fairs across Northern Ireland.
Having completed the programme, this year we invited the finalist schools to take part in a two minute pitch competition where they shared their experiences and talked about their product. Young Enterprise, Ulster Bank, and BBC Apprentice star ‘Jedi’ Jim Eastwood congratulated the winning team from Lurgan Junior High School who started a business called ‘Stop Shop’ making giftware from recycled wood.
With support from Ulster Bank, the Young Enterprise QuickStart programme has enabled more than 4,000 young people throughout Northern Ireland to get hands-on experience of the real world of business and mentoring support from a team of committed Ulster Bank volunteers.
Visit the sustainability section of the Ulster Bank website to find out more.
