Connecting businesses and charities in Herefordshire - Avara Foods and The Little Princess Trust

Avara Food Hereford colleagues Kelly Ingram (L) and Mel Bucher-Bryan (R) enjoy volunteering at The Little Princess Trust

Talk Community's networking breakfast is a quarterly event in Herefordshire that provides a unique opportunity for businesses, social enterprises, and voluntary and community organisations to connect and promote their initiatives. The event aims to facilitate new relationships with those who may not be in your traditional networking circles and inspire collaboration among attendees.

Over free breakfast at the networking event, renowned charity The Little Princess Trust and big food business Avara Foods, Hereford branch, met and exchanged contact information.

For background, The Little Princess Trust are a charity that rely solely on the generosity of supporters to give hair and hope to thousands of children and young people, who have lost their hair to cancer and other conditions. Avara Food are one of the UK's biggest food businesses, supplying chicken and turkey to some of the biggest supermarkets and restaurants in the country.

Their connection led to a partnership where three staff members from Avara Foods now volunteer at The Little Princess Trust once a month for a few hours.

The volunteers assist with a range of tasks, including sorting hair donations by colour and length, filling packs ready to send out to children and young people, and other behind-the-scenes work that is essential to the charity's success.

“Being part of Talk Community networking breakfasts allows us to engage with local businesses that support us with the provision of volunteers” says Kim Musson, Corporate Relationships Manager from The Little Princess Trust. “We initially met through the connecting business and charities event. Volunteers from organisations like Avara, help us keep supporting children and young people across the UK.”

Their partnership is a great example of how Talk Community's networking breakfast can lead to meaningful collaborations that benefit both businesses and charities.

Michelle Skyrme, Operations Training Manager from Avara Foods, Hereford said: “This year Avara Hereford have made an outstanding contribution to our community and I’m proud of what we have achieved so far. Our approach is to get out into the community and give our time to make an impact. This has been well received by those who we have made connections with, some of which began at the connecting business and charity event. The AFCAT team have really enjoyed getting involved with projects and giving their time to such amazing charities in our community.”

Avara Foods supports other charities as a result of the networking breakfast, including Age UK, Hereford Foodbank. They’ve donated a Christmas hamper and raised the profile of the Hereford Oxygen & Wellness Therapy Centre, while helping to promote Herefordshire Boardgamers activities internally. They also support many other local initiatives, charities, and community groups.

The success of this partnership also demonstrates that financial support is not the only way businesses can contribute to charities and community groups. By volunteering their time and skills, businesses can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others while also promoting their own corporate social responsibility.

If you’d like to be kept in the loop and get involved in the connecting business and charity events, please email talkcommunityengagement@herefordshire.gov.uk