STRENGTH IN STYLE
THE POWER OF COLLABORATION
An exciting collaboration between three local charities is bringing a new event to Bath , whilst helping to raise awareness of support services available within the community .
The fashion event , organised by Children ’ s Hospice South West , Dorothy House Hospice Care and We Get It , will showcase exciting Bath retailers at the beautiful and iconic Assembly Rooms . At the same time , it will illustrate how these Bath-based charities support those affected by cancer and life-limiting illnesses . We spoke to Lizzie Heffer from We Get It to find out a bit more about the latest must-attend event in the Bath calendar .
What ignited the charity collaboration ? In the spring of this year , Children ’ s Hospice South West Area fundraiser Heidi Roberts and I were having a heartfelt chat at a business brunch . Despite the Children ’ s Hospice having fantastic brand recognition in Devon , Somerset and Cornwall . Heidi related that whilst they care for a number of children and young people with life limiting and life-threatening illnesses in Bath and the surrounding areas , there were still families in the area unaware of the care and support provided by Bath ’ s local children ’ s hospice , Charlton Farm in Wraxall , and were thus not accessing their services .
This felt really sad , wrong and also something that I thought could be remedied by taking a less traditional approach . We Get It , a charity supporting anyone affected by cancer in BaNES , has experienced much success since launch , but we are also acutely aware of the need to keep communicating and signposting to our services , making sure that those in need don ’ t miss out . With lots of charities doing the same thing , there is a lot of noise , and important messages can be lost in the ether .
Heidi and I both thought of the potential of a fabulous high impact event in Bath , where charities could collaborate together , reaching families in need and new supporters . Emails , social media posts , adverts and leaflets can so often be ignored in the whirlwind of information that we are all constantly exposed to . However , an annual event involving families and local businesses would be a great way to keep interest and momentum going for all the charities involved .
Charities often have events that compete with each other , and supporters have to make difficult decisions about which events to go to . Collaborating is a brilliant way to make sure that it doesn ’ t feel like a difficult choice . If the event becomes part of Bath ’ s social calendar , even better , as people moving into the area looking for something to do would also have the opportunity to attend , year-on-year becoming ambassadors for our message and spreading the word .
Can you tell us more about the Cancer Development Board and its work ? The Cancer Development Board was also the result of a really productive networking session ( sceptics about the value of business brunches be silenced !).
The public healthcare system is so ridiculously complex , charities like ours exist to fill gaps in services and funding but even though we have access to NHS decision makers , we don ’ t always get consulted when big initiatives are launched . This means new services can be designed that might be more efficient , less expensive and also make use of existing expertise and initiatives that already exist in our charities .
A group of Bath and North East Somerset charities have formed an alliance , specifically around cancer care , to ensure that rather than not sitting at important ‘ tables ’, our voices are heard and we get the ‘ seats ’ we need . There is no doubt that there is strength in numbers .
What have you learnt by working collectively so far ? What ’ s really lovely about the collaboration is the enthusiasm to make it work and the pooling of resources . You can tell that there is huge passion for the event as the steering group does most of its planning outside of working hours . Our WhatsApp group is always ‘ pinging ’ with ideas . The team also has such a variety of backgrounds and experiences but what is clear , is that there aren ’ t any ‘ egos ’ in the group and we all have a great sense of fun . This joy and love of what we do , will translate into a brilliant event . What ’ s also apparent is that we share many contacts in the community and they are ignited and inspired by the collaboration too .
How did you come up with the idea for the Strength in Style Fashion Show ? It may seem like a fashion show has nothing to do with providing healthcare but my experience on working on Bath in Fashion a few years ago , was that it is so easy to fill seats when there is the option of incredible clothes to look at .
Bath has such a strong history of fashion and what is brilliant about it is that it is accessible for all ages and all backgrounds . A fashion event also allows us to engage with lots of local businesses , including boutiques , independent makers , venues and caterers .
Coincidentally , Marianne Cantelo of Dorothy House ’ s business development team had contacted me about her objective to help organise a sustainable fashion show in September , so it seemed like fate was calling !
One of the biggest innovations in the charity world was to raise funds with donated clothing - again , nothing to do with the cause itself but so beneficial on so many levels ! Earlier I mentioned strength in numbers and we thought that ‘ Strength In Style ’ encapsulated the power of working together for success , with a huge dollop of glamour , of course .
Who ’ s gifting their support for the fashion show ? We are delighted to have a great list of supporters . Our venue , the National Trust ’ s Assembly Rooms , are being very generous . Of course , we have the kind media sponsorship of The Business Exchange , with Juice Recruitment and MiTEQ providing financial backing . BA1 Hair will be providing our models with some fiercely luxe hair on the night . Our iconic compere is working hard to source a drinks sponsor , and we have a very long list of generous goody bag suppliers .
What can we expect on the night ? The first part of the show will be four incredible boutiques showing Grace & Mabel , Portman , Blue and Boho with accessories from Carole Waller . Tilian Kids will also show some of their unique children ’ s wear as we highlight how important it is that all children in our community have access to valuable healthcare .
We have vibrant accessories from Bath Aqua Glass ’ s new line of artisan handbags and kaleidoscopic jewellery by House of Leopards . The second part of the show will feature clothes from Dorothy House shops and the Children ’ s Hospice shop on Moorland Road and we ’ ll be pushing boundaries to show how incredible you can look , dressing in secondhand style .
What are the aims of the show ? Our charities share many similarities but one of our common goals is to share the message that life is precious and we are here to take the weight and make the struggle seem lighter !
Our charities provide people with the tools to navigate the healthcare system and to ‘ find themselves ’ again , even in the beginning , the middle or the aftermath of a crisis . The fashion show will be fizzing with vibrant colours , reflecting the joy of ‘ dopamine dressing ’, the search for everyday ‘ glimmers .’
Our models are men and women from our community , all with life stories and connections to our charities - beautiful but real .
If you ' re having a bad day clothes have the power to make you feel good , all our charities make it their mission to bring light in the darkness and wrap you up , like a multi-coloured coat , the armour that you might need to get through the day ! How can local businesses support the event ? We would love our event to promote the goals of our charities and bring awareness to our missions but we also would like to make it an effective and sustainable fundraising platform .
We are still looking for more sponsorship so that we really ‘ hit it out of the park ,’ supporting our families with funds . If businesses want to get involved , they can either support us with a sponsorship donation , or something in-kind , such as goody bag items , volunteers to support on the night , or put themselves down for headline sponsorship next year .
Of course , sharing the event with your employees and encouraging them to attend would be incredibly beneficial too ! Sharing our event page on your company website , internal comms and social media channels are all brilliant .
Please email lheffer @ thrings . com to find out how you can support us and the benefits for being an official Strength in Style partner .
Where can we get tickets ? Go to www . wegetit . org . uk / events
The Strength in Style Fashion Show team would like to say a special thank you to Kimberley Morris at Inku Designs for the beautiful illustration created to promote the event . Check out Kimberley ' s work at : www . inkudesign . com
THE BUSINESS EXCHANGE 2023 11