18 | Tees Business
Serving the Teesside Business Community | 19
Charity begins
at home
“Middlesbrough can have an
amazing future as a vibrant,
prosperous technology hub
of national importance”
In 2011 Andy Preston set up
Middlesbrough and Teesside
Philanthropic Foundation with
the aim of helping to make
Teesside a better place to live,
work and do business.
I
t says much for Preston’s persuasive
powers that more than 30 Teesside
businesses and individuals have since
agreed to back the charitable movement to
the tune of at least £5,000 a year.
To date it has raised more than £800,000
for charities, community groups and other
good causes – with every penny of it staying
here on Teesside.
Following long stints as patron of
international children’s charity ARK and
chairman of charity Fairbridge Teesside, he
formed the Foundation to galvanise the
strengths of local businesses to become a
force for social change and investment in
communities.
Under Preston’s chairmanship, the charity
has funded apprenticeships for almost 50
young people, helped stock local food banks
and supported community sports projects
like Middlesbrough Homeless Football Club.
It’s no surprise, therefore, that Preston
calls it his proudest achievement.
“I think the Foundation is pretty
remarkable, he reflects. “I doubt there’s
”
another in the UK like it. I’ve built hedge
funds from nothing but corralling more than
30 alpha males into writing cheques and then
keeping them happy and motivated to want
to continue to be patrons, I think that’s an
achievement.
“The Foundation has become a powerful
force for good on Teesside.
“Everyone involved is making a real impact
on the lives of local people through our
support of charities, community groups and
good causes.
“It has ignited a dormant charitable gene
in lots of individuals, who now see their
role in the community in a different way. In
particular that means that money flows from
the more affluent areas of society to where
it’s needed most.
“This money isn’t going to change the
world, of course, and it’s not even going to
change Teesside, but it is going to make a
small but meaningful difference to some
people’s lives. Best of all, I believe we can
grow it year on year.
”
Force for good: Andy Preston (front left) is the
founder-chairman of a Philanthropic Foundation, which
has now raised £800,000 for local good causes.
Kick-off: Andy Preston led more than 40 Teesside
business people in the first-ever CEO Sleepout at
Middlesbrough FC’s Riverside Stadium.
In 2013, Preston founded CEO Sleepout, inspiring Britain’s leaders to sleep
rough for the night to help fight poverty and homelessness. CEO Sleepouts
have since taken place in Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Cardiff and Wembley,
with many more planned. The charity leader structured CEO Sleepout so that
15% of whatever is raised at national events comes back to Teesside to fund
charitable projects here.