Jan Raycroft tells us all about the good work our industry businesses are doing to support charities on a local, national and global level.
On the face of it, this sounds a simple question: ’Just how much does our industry raise for good causes every year?’. It’s the sort of thing we journalists with a thing about The Numbers and Facts love to research. After several days of digging into all this I had to admit defeat. Excel charts, company annual reports, trawling through our industry associations (they and their members support numerous good causes), phone calls and even late night back of envelope calculations drew the realisation that I’d never be able to tot up just how much goodwill is turned into vital donations.
This much I can tell you – it runs into millions of pounds worth of ‘good news’. Firstly, there are the actual cash donations to, and sponsorships of, national and local charities plus responses to international appeals. Then we have the gifts of raffle prizes (for both industry functions and local events) and donations of equipment and consumables for needy causes. And beyond that one of the most valuable often unseen gifts of all – our time. Many businesses encourage staff in volunteering efforts as part of a company commitment to wellbeing and their local community, while a significant number of our senior management and owners serve on the boards of charitable trusts both within and outside the industry.
So, a failure on my part, but at least I can say that it’s ‘all in a good cause’. And that few issues of Laundry & Cleaning Today go by without stories and smiley photos of laundries, drycleaners or suppliers highlighting their endeavours in this area. Indeed, this magazine and MEG Events, organisers of our Laundry and Drycleaning Awards, the LADAs, have supported Pancreatic Cancer UK, which is dedicated to funding research to improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease, for many years. It’s one of those national charities which can get overlooked, so we were delighted by the recent announcement that Pancreatic Cancer UK will be the official charity of the year for the 2025 TCS London Marathon. The aim is to raise £2 million to put a gamechanging early detection test for the deadliest common cancer into the hands of doctors. We were also delighted to announce that Liverpool’s Kitty Laundry won the Community Business Award at the LADAs 2023.
As well as winning the Community Business Award at the LADAs 2023, Kitty’s Launderette were announced in top spot at the Social Enterprise UK Awards
It’s a community launderette and social space offering high-quality, affordable ecological laundry and drycleaning services, as well as a space for people to gather, talk and learn. But enough about us, well nearly. In the rest of this feature, we’re going to highlight a range of endeavours demonstrating the huge scope of the industry’s charitable work. What that means is that I’m marking myself up for another failure – this time of omission because many of you will be saying ‘What about us?’ The solution is in your hands – when your business and staff are supporting good causes make sure you send some words and a decent photo or two to our HQ, all the contact details can be found on page two.
Big business can reach right down into communities, as demonstrated by the Johnson Service Group. As part of The Johnsons Way, at least three quarters of their sites across the country have fundraisers for their local organisations and charities, with the parent company boosting the cash raised. A good example is Regency Laundry, based in Corsham, Wiltshire, who service top hotels and hospitality venues across the Southwest. In November last year they joined a JSG initiative providing quarterly donations to charities, most recently donating £500 to a local hospice.
Meanwhile, in Scotland JSG is one of the businesses supporting Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) that focuses on providing learning experiences for those studying or working in our sector. JSG also back the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust (FTCT), which gives grants for children’s essential items to parents working in the UK fashion and textile industry, including in the laundry sector. The latter is also one of the many causes supported by Jacksons Workwear Rental in Lincoln – where goodwill is spread across numerous charities. In recent times the list of beneficiaries has included the nearby St Barnabas Hospice and MS-UK (Multiple Sclerosis).
Girbau UK, the Hitchin-based manufacturer and installer of commercial and industrial laundry equipment, recently donated £500 to the Fashion & Textile Children’s Trust, after selling off some of its old IT equipment and rounding up the funds realised. “We were delighted to be able to raise money by selling off IT equipment that others can still make good use of,” says Peter Rankin, managing director of Girbau UK. “Even better to put the funds raised to such great use by supporting the work of FTCT to help the children of people who work in the UK clothing and textile industry.” Another example of big companies keeping it local can be found at Ecolab where they make donations to the Cheshire Community Foundation (CCF) every year, which ensures their contribution is spent in the most valuable way and distributed across many charities.
They also support Cheshire Connect, a very small charity, by encouraging associates to donate their time, skills and expertise. For instance, a charity may want help setting up a website, and here the Ecolab expertise can be invaluable. Ecolab’s ERGs (voluntary, employee-led initiatives) run events throughout the year, including those linked to local communities – covering everything from promoting female career progression to Pride, Macmillan coffee mornings, and Merge, raising funds for an armed forces charity. If recorded in line with the Ecolab giving policy, the company will also make a contribution.
Vision Linens believes in looking after local communities, whether in the UK or supplier countries. At home they work with The Brick, a charity helping people who are at risk of or transitioning through homelessness, financial hardship, or crisis. Fraser Donaldson, VP and general manager, says: “In an ever-changing world, poverty in the UK is more common than any of us would like to think and is affecting ever larger swathes of our communities, which is why The Brick in Greater Manchester is so vital. They believe that poverty is not inevitable, and they aim to provide a practical response to address and mitigate root causes of poverty whilst helping to rebuild lives for the better.”
Hush! Don’t wake the little one: Vision, Hilton and Fishers Laundry help Multibank to source baby items like mattresses and blankets
Vision works alongside many other well-known businesses including Hilton and Fishers Laundry to support the Multibank by donating surplus goods and services. The Multibank in turn operates a ‘click and collect’ service for further charities and professionals. As suppliers of filled and flat bedding to hotels, with help from partners, Vision sources and delivers bedding packs including baby items like mattress protectors and blankets.
Donaldson has made several deliveries to the charity in person and says: “As a dad to a five-year-old I’m inspired by the charity. I can’t imagine what it would be like as a parent not having the means to keep warm at night. The entire team at Vision recognises how lucky we are to have homes and warm beds and we are grateful to be in a position to help.” Further afield, in India, Vision with the help and support of their customers, has been planting trees.
Overseas, Vision have helped to plant over 1,500 fruit trees across 12 Indian states as part of Earth Month
Head of marketing Gemma Blake says: “As part of Earth Month we doubled the number of points earned by our Visionaires to One Tree Planted, a charity dedicated to reforestation. The campaign enabled us to plant over 1,500 fruit trees across 12 Indian states. We chose fruit trees as they provide food and nutrition as well as improving air quality to combat climate change.”
Just why we struggled to calculate just how much is raised for charity is summed up by the numerous causes backed by MAG Laundry Equipment, the supplier of commercial laundry machines.
An example is the significant discounts and donations to organisations such as the RSPCA and Cats Protection which help them maintain clean and sanitary conditions, crucial for the health and wellbeing of the animals in their care while allocating more resources to their core missions of rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals. They also support Manchester Dogs Home through donations and discounted services. But the MAG Laundry Equipment team also shows plenty of people power with activities such as charity fire walks and skydives. One memorable initiative was the team’s participation in the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge to support the MS Society.
On top of the world! Team MAG Laundry Equipment raising money for the MS Society
In July they plan to participate in the Tough Mudder event with its obstacle courses testing endurance, strength and teamwork, while raising funds for Overgate Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support. Sales director Kieron Kendell says: “Beyond supporting well known charities, MAG Laundry Equipment also contributes to local organisations like Happy Days, which helps the homeless. Their donations help provide essential items and support services for individuals experiencing homelessness, enabling Happy Days to continue its mission of offering hope and assistance to some of the most vulnerable community members.” Laundry Republic, the London-based drop off and return laundry and drycleaning service works with several charities, including Scope and Royal Trinity Hospice. Since 2012 they’ve collected some 15,000kg of clothes donated by customers, raising over £500,000 from sales in charity shops.
The ihateironing network of professional drycleaners also supports a variety of charities, including Crisis at Christmas, providing a seasonal free laundry service to some 100 homeless people in London, as well as collecting donated clothes from customers for the charity. Very differently, they’ve also provided free cleans for prom dresses and suits for Madrina Oxfordshire, a not-for-profit initiative which collects unwanted prom wear and redistributes the items to students from lower-income backgrounds and those struggling with the cost of living.
Star Linen UK has been on a remarkable sustainability journey, which they’ve cleverly combined with a charitable focus. While extending their social impact and ecological footprint, to date, they’ve donated over £2,500 to Action Mental Health. They’ve planted more than 2,100 trees in a collaboration with Just One Tree, contributing to vital reforestation efforts, biodiversity restoration, and carbon sequestration projects across various global ecosystems. And in pursuing aspirations of a cleaner and safer world, a partnership with Seven Clean Seas has seen Star Linen remove more than 2,500 kilos of plastic from the world’s oceans. MD Stephen Broadhurst says: “Each of these partnerships and initiatives forms strands of a broader tapestry, weaving together social awareness, environmental impact, and corporate responsibility into the fabric of our identity. As we share these milestones, it’s with a sense of pride and a reaffirmed determination to continue to contribute to the causes that matter to us.”
These are just a few examples of how our industry supports people, animals and the environment in the UK and across the planet. Long may that continue – and I’ll never again try to add up what is a magnificent contribution to health and wellbeing in our communities and businesses.
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