Each year, Selwood Housing choose a charity of the year to raise money for. Employees of Selwood Housing can put forward suggestions of local charities that support the communities in and around Wiltshire. Following this, employees can vote for which charity they want to support. A group of staff volunteers, Selwood Spirit, then organise events for the chosen charity.
This year, our chosen charity is Families Out Loud. They provide support for families of those affected by drug and alcohol addictions in Wiltshire. Their aim is to enable families to speak out without shame or stigma. Families Out Loud provide personalised counselling sessions, peer support groups and bereavement support as well as education.
This summer, our customer complaints specialist, Zoe Ridley, and other volunteers from Selwood Spirit put together an incredible day at Melksham Town Football Club. They hosted a charity football match to raise money for Families Out Loud. Selwood Spirit took donations at the gate for the charity. The event also included a raffle and a t-shirt colouring competition, with all money going straight to Families Out Loud. Melksham Town football club very kindly supported the event by hosting the match and providing match day catering. There was a real sense of community spirit.
Selwood Housing employees volunteered to play in the football match. Their friends and family members took part to complete the teams. Barry Hughes, our group chief executive, and Mark Mayler, our group finance director each managed one of the teams. The atmosphere was very competitive as both were very keen to be the victor! It was a real nail-biter, with the match ending on a 3-3 draw!
Penalties were necessary to decide the winner. Barry and his team snatched victory 5-4! The real winner though was, of course, Selwood Housing’s charity of the year, Families Out Loud. The match raised a massive £428.30. This will be a valuable contribution to the amazing work that Families Out Loud do to support local families.
