The Herdy Fund - 2023 Recap

Back in 2007, when Herdy was born, we launched the Herdyfund, pledging to donate a percentage of our yearly profits to help support local community projects. For 16 years, the Herdy Fund has been involved in some incredible initiatives, donating over £250k, to support youth and adult education, young farmers, rural community initiatives and projects to protect the region’s Herdwick Sheep.

This year, we've been as busy as ever with our fundraising efforts, including celebrating the 75th anniversary of our beloved NHS, sponsoring events for our local hospice, and gathering funds for the Lake District Mountain Rescue, and more.

Here's a quick roundup of the projects the Herdy Fund supported this year.

Charity Fundraisers

Mountain Rescue Ewe Tube

 

 Herdy teamed up with the amazing people at Lake District Mountain Rescue to create a special 'Mountain Rescue Ewe Tube’, with part revenue from sales going to support our local volunteer teams. The ewe-nique design featured Mountain Rescue Herdy and Sheppy, keeping a watchful eye on the Lake District fells.

 

The Ewe Tube isn't just handy for mountain adventures, it's also a great way to give back to the hardworking volunteers who ensure our safety. A donation of £1.50 from each sale goes to support Lake District Mountain Rescue. Plus, it also helps highlight the AdventureSmart campaign, which gives essential tips for staying safe in the fells. The LDSAMRA oversees 12 teams with over 400 volunteers, offering crucial aid to those in need, day or night. Their dedication and bravery are simply outstanding, saving numerous lives and serving our community in inspiring ways.

 

To date, we have raised over £2100 for Lake District Mountain Rescue

NHS collection

 

 As proud supporters of the National Health Service, Herdy couldn't have been more thrilled to join in the 75th anniversary celebrations. To mark this momentous occasion we launched a number of special edition collectables, including a fine bone china mug and collectors tea towel, to raise funds for our baaa-rilliant NHS.

 

Partnering with The Bay Hospitals Charity, every purchase from this collection has helped raise vital funds for the Charity, ensuring our healthcare heroes get the support they deserve. It's our way of saying "thank ewe" to those who dedicate their lives to our well-being.

 

To date, we have raised over £3400 for The Bay Hospitals Charity.

St Johns Hospice

 

 Our Herdy HQ team hit the Kendal Colour Dash course again this year, all in support of St John's Hospice.

 

This time, Herdy also sponsored the event and we even designed some fab-ewe-lous medals for all the participants. Plus, we raised an extra £850 through the ‘Little Herd’ online auction, where 10 Little Herdy soft toys, who accompanied us around the 5K course, were auctioned off to the highest bidder.

 

We successfully raised over £2300 for St Johns Hospice

Charitable Donations

 

Newton Rigg Collage

This year, we supported Bright Stars, an initiative collaborating with 150 primary schools in Cumbria, to teach entrepreneurship skills. Herdy helped turn classroom learning into a real-life experience. The program encouraged pupils to work with local businesses to create social enterprise ventures.

The competition gave £50 seed funding to each school, challenging them to build their mini-businesses in 12 weeks and grow the investment creatively. This year, the goal was to turn a profit while making a positive impact. Over 1200 primary school children actively took part in Bright Stars during the spring term.

We have donated a total of £9000 to Newton Rigg

 

Bright Stars

This year, we partnered with Bright Stars, an initiative collaborating with 150 primary schools in Cumbria, Herdy helped turn classroom learning into a real-life experience. The program encouraged school kids to work with local businesses and create social enterprise ventures.

The competition gave £50 seed funding to each school, challenging them to build their mini-businesses in 12 weeks and grow the investment creatively. This year, the goal was to turn a profit while making a positive impact. Over 1200 primary school children actively took part in Bright Stars during the spring term.

We donated a total of £1000 to Bright Stars

 

Waste into Wellbeing

Waste to Wellbeing is a volunteer led, social project at the heart of Kendal’s Food Community. Food from local supermarkets, shops and restaurants, which would otherwise be wasted, is turned into nourishing meals, provided on a pay what you can basis, or is re-distributed to residents in need through a community larder.

Herdy's donation went towards refurbishing the community kitchen that Waste to Wellbeing makes the meals it provides. 

We donated a total of £1000 to Waste into Wellbeing

 

Grasmere Brass Summer School

Herdy is delighted to have supported the Grasmere Brass Summer School for the second year in a row. Not only did we sponsor the event, we also donated some custom Herdy SIGG water bottles for everyone taking part.

The Summer School brings young brass learners together for two days of music and fun, helping them play better in groups and gain experience from more accomplished players. It's all about boosting the confidence of younger players and encouraging newcomers to give music a try.

We donated a total of £350 to Grasmere Brass Summer School

We also contributed to…

Age UK West Cumbria:
£825

 

Alston Community Workshop:
£2000

 

Westmorland Agricultural Society:
£1000

 

Settlebeck School:
£350

In total Herdy has donated over £23,000 to local charities this year, an incredible figure, made possible by the support of our fantastic customers.

We’re looking forward to making more of a difference the Herdy Fund will be a part of next yeaar.

 

Cheers to 2024!

Featured Products

Mountain Rescue

Ewe Tube

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Special Edition

NHS Herdy Mug

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Special Edition

NHS Herdy Tea Towel

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