Heritage charities celebrate share of £1million fund

Nine heritage charities have received donations of £1,000 each as part of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group’s Movement for Good awards.

For the third year running, Ecclesiastical Insurance Group is giving away £1million to charities through its Movement for Good awards. Members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts, with 500 awards of £1,000 available for donation.

In total, more than 210,000 people around the UK supported the Movement for Good awards, with over 13,000 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes. The 500 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated.

Among the heritage charities to secure an award are The Council for British Archaeology, Llanthony Secunda Priory Trust in Gloucester and Friends of Windmill Gardens in Brixton.

Thanking supporters of the movement, Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Ecclesiastical Insurance Group, said: “We have seen an overwhelming public response to our Movement for Good awards for a third year in a row and I would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause. It’s clear that people care deeply about those in need during what has been an incredibly testing time for many. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.

“Ecclesiastical, the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK, is a unique financial services group. We are owned by a charity which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business.”

Llanthony Secunda Priory is an independent heritage charity in Gloucester, looking after five acres of historic grounds, including six Grade I and 1 Grade II listed buildings and structures.

A spokesperson from Llanthony Secunda Priory said: “This generous award by Ecclesiastical will support our conservation work, maintaining Llanthony’s historic grounds and buildings including one structure that is still on the Heritage at Risk Register. This will allow us to safely open and present Llanthony Secunda Priory to the thousands of visitors who come to the site each year, from Gloucester residents enjoying their daily exercise to tourists exploring the site’s 900 year history.

We’d like to send the biggest of ‘thank you’s’ to our Llanthony Secunda Priory supporters, who nominated our charity for this award.”

For more information about the Movement for Good awards and for a full list of the winning charities, visit: www.movementforgood.com

Later this summer, a further 30 charities will also be chosen by a panel of judges to receive £10,000 from Ecclesiastical Insurance Group to be put towards the advancement of heritage and arts, education, rural and community, climate, human rights and equality. What’s more, two charities will benefit from an additional £50,000 each and another will receive a life changing £100,000 award.

For further information visit www.ecclesiastical.com