Red Funnel has announced that Aspire has been elected as its Charity of the Year for 2023, following the results of a vote by both the general public and Red Funnel colleagues.
Aspire is an award-winning community hub, operating services across the Island in partnership with the Isle of Wight Council and other voluntary partners.
The organisation provides support to the community in many ways, with a big focus on providing spaces in which people can meet, grow, and enhance their friendships and social networks, alleviating loneliness, and isolation.
Aspire’s wide and varied services range from the group’s ‘Creative Hub’, which offers space for rehearsals and production as well as a graphic design and editing space.
Other services include sewing and craft groups, gardening clubs, a warm hub, and community café, a soft play space for kids and the UK’s first escape room set inside the crypt of an old church, which is also the site of the organisation’s headquarters.
The buzzing space also hosts regular workshops teaching a wide range of new skills, from creative writing to upcycling, to managing mental wellbeing.
Fran Collins, Chief Executive of Red Funnel, said:
“I am delighted to announce that Aspire has been selected as Red Funnel’s Charity of the Year 2023. We admire their passion for the community and look forward to working together this year to help support our Island community, and help it thrive.”
Article continues below this advertisement
Trevor Nicholas, Chief Executive Officer at Aspire, said:
“All of us at Aspire are so excited to have been chosen as Red Funnel’s Charity of the Year. Aspire exists to support our community on the Isle of Wight and it really means a lot that Red Funnel staff and customers have voted for us.
“Our community needs us more than ever and we continue to see demand for our services rising as the cost-of-living crisis impacts on people’s finances and their physical and mental wellbeing. Partnering with Red Funnel will enable us to help more people and offer more services to make a real difference to people’s lives. Thank you so much to everyone who voted for us.”
The 2 runners-up in Red Funnel’s COTY selection process were Independent Arts – a small but well-known Isle of Wight charity, which tackles loneliness and vulnerability through quality art-based programmes, supporting Islanders ages 4 to 104 years, and the RSPCA Isle of Wight Branch, which provide support for the Island’s most vulnerable animals, supporting the daily care and welfare for domestic, farm, and wild animals.
Red Funnel has also committed a cash donation and equivalent support package to a combined sum of £10,000 (£5,000 each), to both the Independent Arts and the RSPCA Isle of Wight Branch.
Red Funnel customers can opt to make a donation to Aspire at the time of booking their ferry travel online or donate at most Red Funnel points of sale.
