“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.” - H. Jackson Brown Jr.
30th January 2024
Charity is incredibly important to us here at RVT and 2023 was a great year for giving. As such, we are thrilled to announce that we donated a total of £495,900 to charity over the course of the year. This amazing sum was achieved through a mixture of direct donations, staff fundraisers, and donations to customer charity initiatives. See below for more information on a selection of fundraisers we took part in to achieve this figure.
March
The team took part in the “RVT Goes Wild” photography competition to take the best wildlife photo whilst raising money for Rewilding Britain. You can read more about this fundraiser here.
May
Staff donated their pre-loved items to the “Spring Clean Bring and Buy Sale” in aid of RNID. You can read more about this fundraiser here.
July
The team got fit for Asthma + Lung UK with “How Far Will You Go?”. This fundraiser involved us tracking our walking activity for a month to achieve at least one of the following goals;
For every team member who achieved one of these goals, the company directors generously donated £50 per person to the charity.
Friendly competition was also a big part of this event with prizes available for the team members who walked the furthest distance, amassed the most exercise hours and saw the most improvement from their first distance to their last.
As usual, the RVT team threw themselves into it and a total of £1450 was donated thanks to both the directors’ and staff contributions.
November
This month saw the return of a firm favourite “The Great RVT Bake Off” for Cancer Research UK.
All offices rolled up their sleeves and got to work on producing delicious bakes that got our mouths watering. Over £500 was raised and a winning cake was voted for in each office.
December
As an end of year treat, staff took part in a raffle with plenty of treats up for grabs. To secure their tickets, staff donated to The River’s Trust, raising a fantastic £595. Everyone was a winner here and all those who entered took home a tasty treat to enjoy.
Although not a monetary donation, RVT gives 20 hampers to a local charity of our choice every December. In 2023, we chose to donate the hampers to Evergreen Care UK. This charity supports older people in Bexley and Dartford with everything from home support and wellbeing checks to a befriending service and dedicated vintage tearoom where members can socialise. It allows older people to keep connected and helps to combat loneliness.
Team members gave up their own time to create luxury hampers, which included biscuits, Christmas puddings, teabags, mince pies, a hot water bottle, decorations and more. These were gladly received by the charity and were then distributed across the Evergreen network. The team also wrote several greetings cards to be received by others supported by the charity.
Throughout 2023, RVT also made substantial direct donations to certain charities, including;
Whilst RVT donated to our own chosen charities, we also donated to charities chosen by our customers in 2023, including:
We also regularly donate to many other charities, such as Guys & St Thomas’ and The Grace Trust.
For more information on this, head over to our We Support page.
At RVT, our 5 company values underpin everything we do. As such, we think donating to causes that align with our mission of protecting the long-term health of people and the environment is a great way to reflect our “Respect and Care for All” value.
What sort of fundraising will we be doing in 2024? Watch this space!
