The industry charity is kicking off a year of fundraising today, its 180th birthday.
The charity, which grew out of two benevolent funds for the industry, has been on hand to support vulnerable people in the home improvement industry ever since.
Ceo Bryan Clover estimates that the charity has helped over 5,100 people during the last seven years alone, with an average of over £1 million in unclaimed benefits identified each year.
He said: “The way we have helped people during the last few years hasn’t really changed – vulnerable people who find themselves in difficulty and often don’t know where to turn. What has changed is the increase in the number of people needing help and also the number of businesses who have welcomed us into their premises to talk openly about how we can help. It isn’t just about money but also advice.”
On the charity’s 180th birthday, Bryan has made this plea:
“Today, the Rainy Day Trust is 180 years old. That’s 180 years of ‘being there’. 180 years of providing a huge range of help to people who are finding life too tough to deal with on their own. We say that our help is a leg up, not a hand out.
“We want this year to be the biggest on record, helping as many people as possible, outstripping even the last couple of years, which have been incredibly busy. The recent announcement that inflation had risen to 10.4% shows that the need for our help isn’t going to go away any time soon.
“This message has two purposes. Firstly, to remind you that we are here for the people that you work with that may be struggling. It’s a simple equation – more people know that we exist = more people that we can help.
“Secondly, we are seeking your business’s support so that we can keep going.
“Since early 2020 and the lockdowns from Covid-19 we have made a loss every year, and 2022 was no exception where we spent over £72,000 more helping people that we brought in. We had prudently built reserves and those are now dwindling fast.
“As part of our 180th Anniversary activity I will be hiking 6 x 30-mile half ultras against the clock and we are looking for corporate sponsors either for an individual 30 miler, or for the whole lot. We will be talking about our sponsors throughout the training period and in the hikes themselves, getting your brand out there. The first hike is on 1st April and just to make it a bit more interesting, I’m going to be doing it overnight.
“We are looking for £500 for an individual hike or £2,000 for all six. The attached image of last year’s flag shows what I will be carrying with me. The second photo shows that we can put your brand on my hiking kit as well. The proposed dates are:
1 April – Ridgeway
22 April – Wayfarer
13 May – Jurassic Ultra Challenge
10 Jun – 3 Castle walk – Windsor to Winchester
24 Jun – Cotswold Ultra Challenge
6th hike date tbc
“Alternatively, you or your business can make a straight donation of any size to our fundraising page. Everything raised will be used to combat the cost-of-living crisis that is having such a huge impact on people who are facing some seriously tough times. The link to my fundraising page is below.”
Rainy Day Trust: 180 Years of Helping People (enthuse.com)
