A unique approach
Dom Boon, UK Head of People, Virgin Active, said:
“Our purpose is to enrich people’s lives through activeness. That means that we are inclusive, sustainable, non-judgemental and we support our local communities. The consumption of our product has a very positive impact for both individuals and our wider society – social and environmental activities are a natural extension of that and we see real business benefit from our investment of time and resource in these areas.”
What do they support?
Spinathons. Swimathons. And lots of other "athons"!
With their partner charity Sparks, which provides children’s medical research, the company aims to raise £200,000 by the end of 2012. The money will fund important research into heart defects in new-born babies. Having a partner charity helps them to focus their efforts and achieve greater impact. To ensure that their partner reflects what’s important to their people, Sparks was chosen through a staff vote. The process has meant that staff are engaged with the partnership across all areas of their business.
Work with Virgin Unite
Virgin Unite worked with Virgin Active to decide how they should best choose a charity partner and is working closely with them during their integration with Esporta Clubs.
Dom Boon, UK Head of People, Virgin Active, said:
“Working with Virgin Unite gives Virgin Active the chance to channel some of our energy into projects that we know are a force for good. We take confidence in the fact that the expertise within Virgin Unite will ensure that we can create positive sustainable change in communities around the world. It is also a great feeling to get our people involved in activities beyond their normal working routines and for us to be able to support Sir Richard Branson in some of the initiatives we know he is very passionate about.”
Impact?
From 2008 to 2010 Virgin Active’s charity partner was Honeypot, a national charity that supports young carers and at-risk children in the UK. Over £130,000 was raised during this period which paid for short respite breaks for children.
In 2010 Virgin Active staff volunteered 1,288 hours – or more than 7.5 weeks – of staff time. Some of the activities included hosting Christmas parties and a Summer Sports Day for children and renovating an old bike shed at a short break centre to create a new play room.
Their new charity partner Sparks is now fully embraced by their business.A member of the Sparks team works with Virgin Active on a part-time basis. Thanks to this close working relationship, and massive support from staff, Virgin Active has exceeded their fundraising target in their first year of a two year partnership.
What partners and staff say:
Julian Hare, Senior Corporate Partnerships Manager, Sparks, said:
“We are proud to have been chosen as Virgin Active’s charity partner for the next two years. As a health club chain, Virgin Active is an ideal partner for Sparks. Both organisations share a common goal: to make a big impact on health. We feel there are plenty of opportunities through this partnership which will have huge impact on the life-changing research we support. We’re really looking forward to working with all the staff and members of Virgin Active.”
To learn more about Sparks, visit:
For more info on Virgin Active, please email:
Christina.Clark@virginactive.co.uk