Shout Out
Celebrating the amazing things our corporate partners are doing to help us protect children, prevent abuse and transform society
Welcome to your winter edition of Shout Out, our newsletter for our family of corporate partners.
We’re excited to be showcasing some of the inspiring things you and your organisations have been doing to improve childhoods in 2024.
In this edition we’ll celebrate all the ways you’ve been there for children this Christmas, tell you all about how we’re keeping children safe online, and introduce you to our new CEO. Your generosity is what makes it possible for us to be there for children, so we hope this newsletter makes you feel proud of the difference our partnerships make.
We're so pleased to have welcomed a range of companies to our family of corporate partners this year, including:
- Nivea
- The Range
- TGI Fridays
We’re thrilled to say that our new partnership with Nivea is helping us fund Building Connections, our new service we featured in last year’s edition of Shout Out. Nivea’s mission to combat loneliness and promote meaningful human connections, Nivea Connect, aligns perfectly with the programme, an online service for young people experiencing loneliness. We’re excited to be working with Nivea, who will also be supporting us through gift in kind products and volunteering, for the next two years. Thank you to Nivea for helping us support young people experiencing loneliness.
“I am thrilled to be joining the NSPCC. I firmly believe in a society where all children are not just protected from harm, but they have the support, kindness and respect needed to live happy, joyful and fulfilling lives and be the best version of themselves.”
Introducing our new CEO
We’re so excited to welcome our new Chief Executive Chris Sherwood, who joined us on 20 January 2025. Chris joins us having served as Chief Executive of the RSPCA, the world's oldest and largest animal protection charity, since August 2018.
During his time at the RSPCA, Chris spearheaded a seismic transformation of the 200-year-old charity - modernising leadership, culture and governance. With more than 20 years of experience in the voluntary sector and as a board member of NCVO and Chair of The Charity Awards, we’re looking forward to what Chris will bring to his new role.
NSPCC Chair of Trustees, Neil Berkett said:
“I am extremely pleased to be welcoming Chris Sherwood, with such an impressive track record in leading some of the UK’s best-known charities, to the NSPCC family. I am confident that Chris will continue to drive forward our clear mission to make sure everyone plays their part in keeping children safe, that every child is safe online and that every child feels heard.”
We hope you’ll join us in welcoming Chris to the family!
Supporting children at Christmas
Your Christmas Fundraising
Over the 12 days of Christmas we delivered nearly 4,300 Childline counselling sessions - thank you for your support!
Thank you!
This year many of you generously supported around 2,000 service users and volunteers across the UK by providing Christmas gifts, and hampers for the volunteers.
“Parents have been extremely grateful in this support and have shared how this has made such a difference to them. Knowing that their children will wake up to presents on Christmas morning has eased worries. So a massive thank you to each and every one of you who have worked hard to support our organisation. It really does make a difference to children and families. We, as are they, are eternally grateful.”
Home Bargains
This year, Home Bargains’ range of Christmas cards made a return to stores and raised £50,000 to support children and young people. But the holiday magic didn't stop there! Home Bargains also donated over 100 toys to bring smiles to the faces of children and young people in Liverpool. Adding to the fun, colleagues across the business donned their most festive attire for a Christmas Jumper Day, showcasing their holiday spirit and dedication to making a difference.
Home Bargains also sponsored the Liverpool Carols by Candlelight event at the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, raising £14,033.
Lindt
For the eighth consecutive year, world renowned chocolate producer Lindt & Sprungli UK proudly supported the NSPCC to raise vital funds for Childline. From 1 December, every Lindt TEDDY Milk (100g) purchased from Lindt chocolate shops, major grocery chains, retailers and online shop, meant that Lindt generously donated £1, raising £130,000 in total by the end of the campaign. Lindt’s amazing total helped Childline to continue to be there for children when they needed us most over Christmas. Lindt were also our Sparkling Reception sponsors for our Merry Little Christmas concert again this year, helping to make the event a wonderful celebration!
Lidl GB
Throughout the Christmas season, Lidl GB embraced the festive spirit by supporting the NSPCC through the sale of their Lidl-branded Christmas items. Donations were made from the sales of festive bouquets, cards, hats, socks, and the legendary Christmas jumpers. Altogether, these efforts raised an incredible £150,000.
In addition, Lidl colleagues participated in a nationwide ‘Deck the Halls’ competition, where they decorated their workspaces, homes, and even pets. The most dazzling entry won a prize, adding an extra layer of festive cheer and fundraising.
Hello! Magazine
The NSPCC’s enchanting Merry Little Christmas show took place on Tuesday 10 December at Cadogan Hall, Chelsea, in proud partnership with Hello! Magazine. This magical evening was filled with festive cheer and heartwarming performances, by Heidi Range, James McConnel, Strictly Come Dancing Professionals Karen Hauer and Kai Widdrington, The Kingdom Choir and The BIG Sing Choir. The evening was hosted by Charlene White and Chris Harper with guest readers including Geri Halliwell-Horner, Shaniqua Okwok, and Pandora Sykes.
Thanks to this partnership, we secured five full-page ads leading up to the event, promoting ticket sales and showcasing our wonderful readers and performers. The event raised a phenomenal £52,000 for Childline.
Clarion Housing
Since launching their partnership with the NSPCC last June, Clarion Housing has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to supporting our Building Connections service.
This Christmas they organised a variety of activities, from raffles and bake sales, to Christmas markets, their efforts are nothing short of inspiring. Thanks to their dedication they raised £10,000 over Christmas towards their ambitious £100,000 target for year one, with more funds still coming in.
Looking ahead to 2025, they have an exciting line up of activities, starting with an overseas cycle in February, where six courageous staff members will embark on a 450km cycle from Vietnam to Cambodia!
CDS Superstores (The Range & Wilko)
CDS Superstores (The Range & Wilko) have supported the NSPCC since 2021, through carrier bag levy donations, initiated by owners Chris and Sarah Dawson, who wanted to do more for children. This year, Chris took on a motorbiking challenge to raise additional funds, engaging suppliers and stakeholders.
The Range & Wilko are now deepening their partnership with the NSPCC, starting with support for the Letter from Santa campaign, promoting it across staff, stores, online, and social channels. Future plans include collection tins, a presence at major store openings, and a range of fundraising activities for 2025.
Your fantastic fundraising
This week the NSPCC and Lidl GB are celebrating a very special milestone. Since our partnership began, Lidl customers and colleagues have raised an incredible £10 million to support children and young people.
In the first three years of our partnership, Lidl raised £3 million to support our Speak out Stay safe service, enabling the NSPCC to attend over 5,000 schools and reach over 1 million children. Since 2020 they have funded Childline and, in 2023, focused their funding on supporting children and young people’s mental health.
From fundraising campaigns such as Go Green for Halloween and Childhood Day, to hiking, baking, running, skydiving, and dressing up, Lidl colleagues have dedicated themselves to supporting the NSPCC.
To celebrate this special milestone, the NSPCC are travelling across the country on a roadshow, visiting Lidl distribution centres to celebrate with colleagues.
JCB's Colour Run and Cycling Sportive get fundraisers moving!
JCB, our long-standing corporate partner of nearly 40 years, is committed to raising £2 million in two years for the NSPCC. As part of this campaign, in September, they organised a fun filled Colour Run for 700 employees, and members of the public.
Participants ran, jogged and walked their way around a 4k course while being showered with a vibrant array of colours at the colour stations. This vibrant event raised a total of £14,000 for children and young people.
For those fundraisers who like to get around on two wheels the JCB Sportive event was the perfect opportunity to enjoy picturesque routes through Staffordshire and Derbyshire from 50km to 100km. The race was (for most!) non-competitive, and well-earned exclusive participation medals were given to all who participated and raised a total of £15,000.
Mitie raise funds at their 10th Annual Ball
On Saturday 14 September, Mitie held their 10th Annual Charity Ball in Scotland, with all proceeds being split between the Beatson Cancer Charity and NSPCC.
They raised over £65,000 on the night for the two charities, and guests heard from Lauren Burke, Childline Team Manager in the Glasgow Childline Base. We’re extremely grateful to Mitie for all their support and look forward to working with them in the future.
Your valuable volunteering
Answering your questions on Corporate Volunteering, we're excited to share a Q&A with Hannah, one of our valued corporate volunteers. Hannah is a dedicated Childline volunteer who wanted to support us even further. She recently took part in a pro bono project through her strategy consulting company and has shared her thoughts about the experience.
Can you tell us about the pro bono project you took part in?
The NSPCC's Executive Team identified a requirement to enhance annual business planning processes. I provided an external perspective and facilitated workshops to address specific challenges.
What was your favourite aspect?
Two things particularly stand out. First, getting to know the wonderful teams across the NSPCC and seeing their clear passion for safeguarding and championing the rights of children. Secondly, seeing the real value my professional skills brought to the project. In particular, facilitating workshops that drove collective, practical solutions with tangible benefits for the organisation.
What impact did your volunteering make?
The NSPCC had allocated a budget for external assurance. By providing my time and professional expertise to the project, I saved the organisation money, which meant that these funds could be reallocated to other services for children.
I helped improve ways of working between Directorates, which resulted in greater clarity around cost and resource requirements much earlier in business planning cycle.
What would you say to someone interested in corporate volunteering?
Your skills are so valuable and you have the opportunity to make a real difference. Volunteering for the NSPCC was a lovely experience and the people were brilliant to work with.
We’re delighted this year to have partnered with Newsquest as their first ever Charity of the Year! Over the past year Newsquest have gifted the NSPCC over £6 million worth of gifted advertising and editorial space, allowing us to spread our message far and wide across 153 local newspapers and 27 regional magazines.
Thanks to the resources they’ve donated we’ve been able to encourage people to sign up to our Listen up, Speak up campaign, teaching people how to spot the signs of abuse and keep children safe. We’ve raised awareness of ways to fundraise and donate to our vital services, and shared resources for parents and carers, making a huge difference for the children and young people we support.
Newsquest staff also got involved in their own fundraising efforts – taking part in marathons and Tough Mudders, holding bake sales, and taking on DIY cycle challenges. They’ve volunteered their own time to support the NSPCC, signing up to volunteer at our Childhood Day Collections, volunteering in their local community, and becoming mentors for NSPCC managers, sharing their knowledge and expertise.
Thank you, Newsquest, for everything you’ve done to help us be here for children.
Your creative campaigns
Lidl, Crayola and Hunter Price International give children a creative outlet
In October a brilliant collaboration between Lidl GB, Crayola, and Hunter Price International led to the creation of activity tubes designed to support young people's mental health. These fun-packed sets provide children with a creative outlet for their emotions.
The colourful cardboard tubes, exclusively available in Lidl stores, feature Childline contact details, putting essential information about our service directly into the hands of young people. Additionally, £1 per item sold was donated to Childline.
Vodafone, First News and the NSPCC call on budding young writers for online safety ideas!
This September we joined forces with Vodafone and First News to launch a children’s creative writing competition. The competition encouraged children to share their ideas and solutions on how we can live happier, healthier digital lives in the form of a 500-word fable.
Launching with a four-page pullout in First News and promoted in schools, the competition raised awareness of the TRUST Toolkit, developed in partnership with Vodafone, and put the ideas of children at the heart of online safety solutions.
By the closing date on 1 November over 250 entries had been submitted, from children aged 7 to 15, with key themes including: setting up phones, parental controls, and online strangers. The Voice of Online Youth and Karen Squillino, Local Services Director, sat on the judging panel, with six lucky winners chosen across three age groups.
Winners received prizes including two tablets and 100 books for their school, a Kindle Paperwhite (Kid's Edition), and a £50 book token. A special limited-edition book is also set to be released in 2025 showcasing the winning entries, which have been brought to life by renowned children's illustrators, as well as tops tips for staying safer online.
Please note the competition is now closed.
Vodafone, First News and the NSPCC call on budding young writers for online safety ideas!
This September we joined forces with Vodafone and First News to launch a children’s creative writing competition. The competition encouraged children to share their ideas and solutions on how we can live happier, healthier digital lives in the form of a 500-word fable.
Launching with a four-page pullout in First News and promoted in schools, the competition raised awareness of the TRUST Toolkit, developed in partnership with Vodafone, and put the ideas of children at the heart of online safety solutions.
By the closing date on 1 November over 250 entries had been submitted, from children aged 7 to 15, with key themes including: setting up phones, parental controls, and online strangers. The Voice of Online Youth and Karen Squillino, Local Services Director, sat on the judging panel, with six lucky winners chosen across three age groups.
Winners received prizes including two tablets and 100 books for their school, a Kindle Paperwhite (Kid's Edition), and a £50 book token. A special limited-edition book is also set to be released in 2025 showcasing the winning entries, which have been brought to life by renowned children's illustrators, as well as tops tips for staying safer online.
Please note the competition is now closed.
This time last year we celebrated the passing of the Online Safety Bill with you – but we also told you that our fight to create a safer online world for children wasn’t over.
Now that the Online Safety Act is in place, we’re holding the regulators to account to make sure we have the right measures in place to keep children safe. And to do that, it’s essential young people’s voices and experiences are heard.
Children are in a unique position to know first-hand the risks they face online and what needs to change to keep them safe. That’s why we’re keeping young people at the centre of our online safety work, through our new taskforce: the Voice of Online Youth.
Our Voice of Online Youth is made up of 14 young people, aged 13-17, from across the UK – who bring a range of perspectives and experiences to the table.
More than 100 young people applied to be part of the group. They told us why they wanted to have their voices heard:
“We grew up around the internet. That means from a young age children know what to expect online. Adults don’t have this experience and can only guess, based on statistics, what’s right for young people.”
This time last year we celebrated the passing of the Online Safety Bill with you – but we also told you that our fight to create a safer online world for children wasn’t over.
Now that the Online Safety Act is in place, we’re holding the regulators to account to make sure we have the right measures in place to keep children safe. And to do that, it’s essential young people’s voices and experiences are heard.
Children are in a unique position to know first-hand the risks they face online and what needs to change to keep them safe. That’s why we’re keeping young people at the centre of our online safety work, through our new taskforce: the Voice of Online Youth.
Our Voice of Online Youth is made up of 14 young people, aged 13-17, from across the UK – who bring a range of perspectives and experiences to the table.
More than 100 young people applied to be part of the group. They told us why they wanted to have their voices heard:
“We grew up around the internet. That means from a young age children know what to expect online. Adults don’t have this experience and can only guess, based on statistics, what’s right for young people.”
In the summer, we brought the Voice of Online Youth together for a two-day event, where they started to develop a manifesto of their online safety priorities and debated the biggest challenges facing them online right now.
The manifesto was developed with the help of Vodafone, who’ll be supporting the Voice of Online Youth to bring their experiences and ideas about online safety to industry discussions.
The online world is ever-changing, and we must keep up with new technologies, like AI, to understand the dangers they pose to children. That’s why the Voice of Online Youth is central to our online safety work and in helping us achieve our goal of making sure every child is safe online.
Since 2022, YPO has proudly supported the NSPCC by donating a proportion of funds from all sales of its YPO branded products, as part of their mission to create safer childhoods. In 2024 YPO celebrated its 50th birthday, as well as the incredible £114,000 they've raised for the NSPCC since our partnership began.
Wakefield-based YPO is a publicly owned buying organisation which offers a range of 20,000 products and over 100 frameworks to public sector organisations, with customers ranging from schools to emergency services. YPO are now using their range of products as an opportunity to promote our partnership. Their two most popular school products, their glue stick and whiteboard markers, will now feature NSPCC partnership messaging. This will help children to become familiar with the NSPCC brand, and serve as a reminder to teachers that we’re here to protect children.
The latest development in our long-standing partnership has seen the launch of our 'Craftathon' campaign, aimed at encouraging open conversation about feelings. Created by YPO, the 'Chat and Craft' booklet contains arts and crafts materials such as creating a calm book. Using the booklet, schools could enter a competition and be in with a chance of winning a £500 YPO voucher.
YPO’s efforts to raise awareness of NSPCC campaigns has also extended through our collaboration on its website and magazine, Little Learners. Past editions have included features such as an interview with NSPCC’s Kristina Stephens, focusing on strategies for enhancing children's learning, health, and motor skills to support their futures.
In their 50th year, colleagues across YPO have also taken part in a range of fundraising events, including a charity abseil, and the 2024 London Marathon, where 63-year-old, senior transport driver for YPO Neil Roberts completed his first ever marathon.
"This is a year of celebration for YPO, as the organisation marks its 50th birthday, so its fantastic to also reach this fundraising milestone with the NSPCC. We see this partnership as a fantastic example for other businesses and organisations, demonstrating how we can all collaborate to benefit children across the UK. We look forward to continuing these efforts into the future.”
NSPCC’s Child Safety Online Taskforce of senior leaders across industry has been collaborating on an exciting new initiative with our partner, consulting firm Baringa. NPSCC’s work with Baringa has helped make an impact towards the NSPCC’s pivotal strategic goals to make every child safe online.
The current initiative explores applying commercial value frameworks, underpinned by insight, data and industry examples, to understand how focusing on children’s safety online can be good for business. The initial findings and discussions are illustrating not only the commercial potential of focusing and leading on children’s safety – for customers, for employees and for shareholders – but also that this is a valuable topic not enough in the consciousness of many organisations. Children’s safety online can be a key part of opportunities for businesses, meeting growing demands and expectations of customers, workforces and society at large.
In 2025, Baringa and the NSPCC will be exploring this exciting new initiative and showcasing it across industry. An ultimate aim is to help influence a greater number of children being safer online and inspire corporate aspirations and performance beyond compliance.
"One of the NSPCC’s priorities in our work to make every child safe online is to influence and enable providers of online products and services to ensure children’s safety is at the core of their design and operation. We are incredibly excited by this new initiative and grateful to our amazing Child Safety Online Taskforce and partners at Baringa. We look forward to this new industry initiative making a great impact for children in 2025 and for years to come.”
“We are proud to play a part supporting the NSPCC and working with industries and policy makers to do great things. Value creation is at the heart of shareholders’ agendas and we believe this value is maximized in the long run by considering all aspects of People, Profit, Planet and Trust. Our research with NSPCC aims to help companies understand how children’s experiences in online and digital spaces is not only a safeguarding and wellbeing responsibility but also an opportunity to lead in new ways and do amazing things that customers, employees, shareholders and our next generations will thank them for.”
NSPCC’s Child Safety Online Taskforce of senior leaders across industry has been collaborating on an exciting new initiative with our partner, consulting firm Baringa. NPSCC’s work with Baringa has helped make an impact towards the NSPCC’s pivotal strategic goals to make every child safe online.
The current initiative explores applying commercial value frameworks, underpinned by insight, data and industry examples, to understand how focusing on children’s safety online can be good for business. The initial findings and discussions are illustrating not only the commercial potential of focusing and leading on children’s safety – for customers, for employees and for shareholders – but also that this is a valuable topic not enough in the consciousness of many organisations. Children’s safety online can be a key part of opportunities for businesses, meeting growing demands and expectations of customers, workforces and society at large.
In 2025, Baringa and the NSPCC will be exploring this exciting new initiative and showcasing it across industry. An ultimate aim is to help influence a greater number of children being safer online and inspire corporate aspirations and performance beyond compliance.
"One of the NSPCC’s priorities in our work to make every child safe online is to influence and enable providers of online products and services to ensure children’s safety is at the core of their design and operation. We are incredibly excited by this new initiative and grateful to our amazing Child Safety Online Taskforce and partners at Baringa. We look forward to this new industry initiative making a great impact for children in 2025 and for years to come.”
“We are proud to play a part supporting the NSPCC and working with industries and policy makers to do great things. Value creation is at the heart of shareholders’ agendas and we believe this value is maximized in the long run by considering all aspects of People, Profit, Planet and Trust. Our research with NSPCC aims to help companies understand how children’s experiences in online and digital spaces is not only a safeguarding and wellbeing responsibility but also an opportunity to lead in new ways and do amazing things that customers, employees, shareholders and our next generations will thank them for.”
Thank you for all that you do for children
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Credits: NSPCC photography by Tom Hull (cover photo, Christmas, Lidl GB 10 million, Child Safety Online and Thank you), Colin Baldwin (Your fantastic fundraising), Ben Fleming-Dufour/Iliffe Ward (Your valuable volunteering), Ian Andrew Martin (Your creative campaigns) and Adrian James White (Voice of Online Youth). All children and adults in NSPCC photography are models or volunteers. Other images courtesy of our corporate partners.
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