Six Derbyshire businesses are amongst the first to pledge support for a new fundraising initiative launched by East Midlands charity, Star Trust – The Charitable Entrepreneurs.
Derby entrepreneur Kavita Oberoi OBE, who is a patron of the Star Trust, launched the monthly pledge scheme at a Marketing Derby event at Darleys Restaurant recently alongside the charity’s founder Steve Hampson.
They invited the local business community to pledge a monthly amount from £50 upwards which will be ring-fenced and then donated to SME charities from the county who apply for much-needed funding to improve the lives of people in their local communities.
The first to join the scheme were Darleys restaurant, Ask The Chameleon, Cosy Direct, Q Branch Consulting, WDS Limited and Worcester Lloyd.
Kavita Oberoi, who is the founder and managing director of the Oberoi Business Hub in Pride Park, said: “Star Trust has traditionally raised over £100,000 from their Star Trust ball and Motoring Day each year which is then deployed within weeks to charities that have applied.
“When I joined as a patron, I was keen that we look at ways to generate funds throughout the year so that charities can benefit from our support when and where they most need it.
“I knew from experience that the Derby business community would get behind such a worthwhile cause and, as ever, the Marketing Derby bondholders have stepped up to the plate.
“Their monthly pledges will be ring fenced to Derbyshire and will be donated to local charities who make the greatest impact on our local communities.”
The Star Trust is run by charitable entrepreneurs and business leaders who are committed to supporting their local communities across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Rutland.
Since its launch ten years ago, Star Trust has supported 114 charities with a total of £852,642 and has directly touched the lives of more than 71,732 people in the East Midlands area.
Among the Derbyshire charities recently supported are Derventio Charitable Trust which received £2,739 that paid for 155 essential food hampers for the charity’s supported housing residents in the city and county.
Star Trust founder Steve Hampson concluded: “The fantastic companies and individuals across the East Midlands who support Star Trust do so safe in their knowledge that their generosity is translated into real support for real people in the heart of our local communities.
“Our goal is to surpass the £1 million fundraising mark in 2024 and a key part of this will be growing the number of businesses who pledge on a monthly basis.
“This saves time and resources for these like-minded businesses as our role as conduit is to handle all the funding applications, site visits and due diligence process and always aim to support grassroot charities who are making a positive difference to people’s lives in their local communities.
“The application process is very straightforward so that it is accessible to even the smallest of charities and we look forward to helping more organisations in the coming year.”
