Our community
Everyone at PenLife cares deeply about giving something back to the causes that matter. From charities based in the York area doing vital work, to national organisations that mean something to us and our clients, we’re doing our bit for the greater good.
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Charities we love
Since 2019, we’ve focused most of our fundraising efforts on one charity of the year at a time. This year, OSCAR’s has been chosen by the PenLife Team and our clients.
OSCAR’s Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity is dedicated to supporting children with brain tumours and their families, raising awareness about childhood brain tumours, and funding research to reduce diagnosis times, improve survival rates, and enhance the quality of life for children during and after treatment.
The charity was established in memory of nine-year-old Oscar Hughes from York but aims to help any child across the country facing the challenges of living with a brain tumour.
It is driven by a desire to make a meaningful impact: to prevent other children from experiencing what Oscar endured.
2024: Menfulness - £6,395
2023: The Island - £5,426
2022: Stroke Association - £6,003
2022: York Against Cancer - £3,003
2021: SASH - £6,173
2020: York Mind - £3,000
2019: Dementia Forward - £10,480
We are thrilled to sponsor the Wigginton Squash and Social Club! If you’re at the club, make sure to check out our sign and let us know what you think. Wigginton Squash and Social Club is a friendly 3-court Squash and Racketball Club, with a bar, lounge and function room located on the outskirts of York. The bar is open every night for you to enjoy a member’s priced bar in a relaxed environment and additional times at weekends especially for Sky Sports, BT Sports & Amazon Prime matches shown on several screens.
This local amateur rugby club runs various teams from under 7s to 18s, two Open Age teams, and a “Little Heroes” team for children aged 3 to 6. Our Chartered Financial Planner, Adam Dent, plays for the Open Age first team, and was voted Coaches’ Player of the Year in 2021. Well done, Adam!
This local football team welcomes boys and girls aged 5 to 16. As an amateur organisation, the club relies on donations to be able to provide safe and inclusive footballing opportunities for the local community. We’re delighted to lend our support.
Local man Craig took on the challenge of crossing the Atlantic in a rowing boat. He set off from the Canary Islands in Spain, heading for Antigua and Barbuda, a journey of 3,000 miles, which he completed in 73 days. Craig’s solo adventure raised much-needed support and awareness for two important charities: Sporting Chance, and the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
This local charity runs “Supper Saturdays” for parents and carers on Ward L50 at Leeds Children’s Hospital. This provides a hot meal for parents who are often at their child’s bedside for weeks or months at a time, often eating poorly or not at all as a result. From August to December 2022, we paid for pizzas every Saturday night for the 10 or more families on the ward.
This National Lottery-funded initiative was set up to support children from challenging backgrounds in the Tang Hall area of York. Our donation has helped to provide food for some of the children who enjoy the activities organised by the charity.
The next generation
Companies like ours can provide young people with an incredible introduction to the world of work. From time to time, we offer work experience opportunities for school children, as well as college and university students. Here’s what some of them had to say about their experience.
Other initiatives
The Marine Conservation Society is a charity fighting for a cleaner, better protected, and healthier ocean. They organise beach cleans up and down the country, and we were delighted to be able to join a team of litter pickers in nearby Scarborough. Every single item found in a 100-mile stretch was recorded, which will help the charity track litter back to its source and continue campaigning for change.
Every August bank holiday weekend, local artists from Upper and Nether Poppleton near York exhibit their work in the beautiful surroundings of the historic Tithe Barn in Church Lane. Around 250 paintings by more than 25 artists are exhibited, along with cards and unframed paintings for sale. We’re proud sponsors of the exhibition.
The conflict in Ukraine has forced many families to flee their homes, leaving behind jobs, belongings and loved ones. Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) charities are working in Ukraine and neighbouring countries to provide food, water, health assistance, protection, and trauma care to refugees and displaced people. We’ve made a donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
Refer a friend
Hundreds of people have benefited from our expert support over the years. If you’re one of them, why not spread the word? For each of the first five referrals you make, we’ll pay you £50. For every referral after that, we’ll increase it to £100. And you can refer us to as many people as you like.