“This remarkable place, the youngest child of England’s enterprise, is an infant, but if an infant, an infant Hercules” – William Gladstone, 1862, while visiting Middlesbrough.
Set up by Teessiders for Teessiders, the Philanthropic Foundation helps businesses and individuals join together to make Middlesbrough and Teesside better places in which to live, work and do business. Their support goes to charities, businesses and the people in Teesside who need it the most. Patrons include local businesses and local individuals who make considerable annual donations towards a variety of causes.
The Infant Hercules Charity Club, started by the Middlesbrough & Teesside Philanthropic Foundation, is a perfect way for a business like ours to support local charity work on a corporate level.
Teesside is our home, and we’re grateful to have been able to grow here over the years, supported by a fantastic community. Now it’s our turn to give back, and The Infant Hercules Charity Club is the obvious choice to be able to do that in a meaningful way.
Some recent achievements of the Philanthropic Foundation include FoodHub, a distribution centre to provide affordable food to families affected by COVID-19 following a £30,000 charity donation. The Philanthropic Foundation’s digital poverty appeal to provide laptops and internet connectivity to disadvantaged Teesside pupils has topped £100,000, thanks to generous support from local businesses and philanthropists. Smaller donations have also made a big difference, like £300 for litter picking equipment to a local school that wanted to do their part and teach children the importance of keeping our area clean and tidy.
“All of the money stays in the area, and you actually see it making a difference – the charity has already donated £2.5m and is constantly raising more.”
We want to carry on this upward trajectory and be a part of supporting our borough. The Infant Hercules Charity Club is a perfect fit for us; the more businesses banding together to share successes and helping the community can only be positive. Not only is this in support of the community but small businesses like ours gain a lot too. We’re looking forward to spending time with other successful Teesside business leaders, sharing knowledge and advice.
Patrons of the foundation get involved with the funding applications decisions, present cheques and awards to Teesside Heroes and Golden Giveaway winners. It’s a great hands-on experience that we’re really excited about. The Infant Hercules Charity is another way to attract more individuals to businesses and make Teesside a better place for us all to live and work.
Creating a sense of community is evident in the work produced by the Foundation, from Business-to-Business relationships but also as a business wanting to reach more people in the local area. Now we can proudly display that we are a part of this growing community and we can’t wait to get stuck in and make a difference in our own way.
Check out the great work of the Middlesbrough & Teesside Philanthropic Foundation here & here.