NEWS
Partnership – County Durham Community Foundation CEO Michelle Cooper ( left ) and Learning Curve Group CEO Brenda McLeish OBE .
Fundraising partnership is on firm foundations
AHEAD OF THE CHARITY CURVE
With the announcement of its biggest fundraising event of the year , and the news that CEO Brenda McLeish OBE has been appointed Deputy Lieutenant for County Durham , Learning Curve Group has much to celebrate . Here , Brenda catches up with Michelle Cooper MBE of County Durham Community Foundation to talk about their charity partnership …
Learning Curve Group has been a huge success story for the North- East , growing to become one of the UK ’ s largest training providers .
Under the leadership of Brenda McLeish OBE , the company has grown its turnover from £ 1m to in excess of £ 50m and now employs 800 people to help learners grow their skills and advance their careers .
With this growing success , the company has turned its attention to giving back and for the past three years , Learning Curve Group has had its own charitable foundation , responsible for raising and distributing funds to great local causes – in partnership with County Durham Community Foundation .
While the team have dressed up , dressed down and run huge charity events to fuel the fund , County Durham Community Foundation has provided extensive match funding , and shared its 27 years of expertise in giving to bring maximum impact .
Michelle : Congratulations on your whirlwind year ! You ’ ve been awarded an OBE and now you ’ re Deputy Lieutenant for County Durham . How do you feel ?
Brenda : Thank you . I feel really honoured . And so proud of our “ purple people ”, as none of these achievements and successes would have been possible without them . We have all worked really hard and I think what we have achieved is now being recognised on many levels . We ’ ve been able to show what a homegrown business can become when you believe in what you ’ re doing , which is putting learners at the centre of everything we do .
Michelle : And what impact have these successes had on LCG ’ s charitable giving ?
Brenda : Because our team has grown , we can do more , and I hope this year ’ s fundraiser will be bigger , brighter and glitzier than ever , so that we can raise lots of money for good causes . Holding our charity hoedown-themed ball last year gave us the chance to meet the groups we have funded and to share some interviews through a video at the event . Everyone was really moved and connected to what we ’ ve been able to do . At the same time , we can concentrate on the business , knowing that you are taking care of our charitable giving and keeping everything flowing .
Michelle : Why did you choose to work with County Durham Community Foundation ?
Brenda : I think giving back used to be thought of as an “ extra ” for businesses , but we wanted to really bake it in to everything we do . We have a growing team , in different locations , so bringing that team together through our foundation is really important . People need to feel connected , and that they belong , and I think our charitable giving is one way for us to do the right thing by our communities and create meaning for our team , too . The match funding added impact and we ’ ve now worked with small local charities that were just not on our radar before .
Michelle : I think that ’ s really important . The sooner you build giving into your culture , the sooner you reap the rewards and your team feels that added feel-good factor . And it ’ s great to hear that learning about small local charities was a plus for you , as I think that ’ s one of the ways we can really add value .
Brenda : Yes , exactly . We are a national provider , but we have strong North-East roots and we want to be part of the solution when it comes to the hardships our communities are facing . I think it ’ s impossible , too , to ignore issues that affect every person and every workforce . Mental health issues , poverty , loneliness and domestic violence touch many lives and we want to help and share our success with people who are out there really helping people to overcome these difficulties and reach their potential .
Contact Michelle @ cdcf . org . uk to learn how County Durham Community Foundation can enhance your charitable giving . For tickets to A Night in Hollywood , contact LCGBALL @ learningcurvegroup . co . uk
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