Stainless steel water bottles support a rewilding project in the West Midlands
We’re thrilled to share yet another success story from a member of the British Promotional Merchandise Association (BPMA) giving A Good Thing a go! A Good Thing co-founder Richard presented at the Association's inaugural Sustainability Conference back in June, and the impact has been huge. This time we learn how a resourceful charity is using donated items to drive support for their rewilding projects.
Spotted on social
Carole Longden, Founder of Forest of Hearts CIO, came across A Good Thing by accident when scrolling through social media – and she quickly signed up. Forest of Hearts began in 2015 when Carole purchased a five-acre plot of land with the intention of rewilding it to create a local nature reserve – and most importantly to keep a greenfield site green! The project quickly morphed, as Carole explained:
“Not long after we got started, we began to offer programmes for people who were experiencing problems with their mental health. We were soon asked to create a garden for patients to use at Stratford Hospital – and the space is now complete with polytunnels, raised beds and a greenhouse. It was such a success that we have gone on to create gardens for staff at hospitals in Warwick and Leamington Spa.”
Go green, give back
Carole and her team wouldn’t have been able to grow and take on the additional projects without help from corporate partners. The charity has geared itself up to offer team-building exercises via team ‘away days’ at its new hospital site in Stratford Upon Avon. In the words of Carole, the new programmes give local businesses the chance to “go green, give back”.
Supporting future plans
Back at the five-acre green space in Snitterfield, Warwickshire, there are big plans to create a biodiverse, wildlife-rich area of tranquillity and beauty to include a barn owl woodland, butterfly banks, wildlife ponds, a wildflower meadow, a forest garden and eco-friendly off-grid facilities. The stainless steel water bottles that Carole has received via the A Good Thing platform will be used to help her and her team raise funds for the site:
“We want to start on the development of a woodland area on the plot. We’re just about to launch a crowdfunding campaign, and as an incentive to get involved we are going to be giving a water bottle to the first 100 donors – to say thank you for their support.”
More than just a donation
Excitingly, the link between the business and the charity has now developed further, beyond the donation of goods. Paul Maye, Managing Director at XD Connects, was enthused to learn about the charity and its fantastic rewilding work and was eager to get his team involved. Carole commented:
“When I went to the offices to collect the bottles, I met the Managing Director, Paul, we got chatting. He was delighted to learn that our project was happening in the local area and wanted XD Connects to get involved. Paul was interested to learn about our eco Christmas parties: we will be inviting businesses along to plant some of the trees we are crowdfunding for. Once planting is complete, we’ll be tucking into a vegan BBQ! We hope to welcome Paul and his team.”
So easy to use
It seems like the perfect match! Carole was enthused about A Good Thing and our potential:
“The whole circular economy needs to continue to develop. This is a great way to link local businesses and charities. The app is easy to use and I get convenient emails into my inbox letting me know what is on offer in the local area. The matchmaking process was quick and I was able to arrange collection almost immediately. Thank you for all you’re doing.”
A huge thank you to Carole at Forest of Hearts and Paul at XD Connects for being part of the A Good Thing community, we look forward to seeing pictures of the Christmas party!
If you’re a charity looking for similar items, don’t miss out: sign up now!
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