Local Businesses work to support Stafford Together

Lord Stafford and local MP, Jeremy Lefroy played host to many Stafford businesses and professional services companies last Friday at Stafford College's newly refurbished Riverbank Restaurant.

The aim of Stafford Together is for local people, business and organisations from across the broader Stafford area to raise money to help support the activities of the voluntary sector locally, to grow or to become more sustainable with small amounts of money. These grants will be given out of the growth of the funds held, rather than out of the capital, so that the fund can be there for the long term, benefitting Stafford people for many decades to come. This locally-based fund has been successful in places as far afield as Lichfield to Newcastle Upon Tyne. The chair of the Lichfield Fund – Simon Price - talked at last week’s breakfast of their eight year journey to raise £1m whilst giving out grants totalling £150k in that local area. Something that Stafford Together has an ambition of emulating.

There are already a number of organisations supporting Stafford Together including Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, Staffordshire University, Virgin Trains, Freedom Leisure, Staffordshire Library Service, Red Box Web Design and Lilac Films.

At last week’s breakfast a number of other local businesses also committed to supporting Stafford Together by putting on charitable events as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility plans, whilst a group of local senior business leaders have committed to undertake walking all 92 miles of the Staffordshire Way next year.