Case Studies

In 2016 SELFA Children's Charity were recipients of a Weston Charity Award, which not only supported the organisation with a core grant of £6,500 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, but also began a period of transformation through the Pilotlight 360 programme.

Eagle’s Nest Project is a charity set up to work with young people aged 11-18 that are struggling to engage in mainstream education, often as a result of early childhood trauma. It offers alternative education solutions that build confidence and to equip them for more positive engagement in education and society moving forwards.

"From a personal perspective and also the team’s perspective, to be able to go back and have full confidence in our plans to grow corporate support, following feedback from the Pilotlighters, allowed for a stronger pitch to recruit the additional team member required."

"We were blown away by the enthusiasm of the Pilotlighters as they worked up solutions to the brief we set them. We heard plenty of fresh perspectives and we had some of our own thinking challenged in a supportive setting. I now have concrete next steps and new ideas to work through with my team."

Hands Together Ludlow works with partners, stakeholders and volunteers to improve wellbeing and create a more equitable community in and around Ludlow by reducing isolation, poor health and financial hardship.

"The project not only met its intended goals but also demonstrated the Pilotlight Direction programme can deliver exceptional results while maintaining a positive and proactive approach throughout the process."

"The report, feedback, genuine interest and generosity of time and effort in helping us review aspects of ourselves and our aims, has proved invaluable."

"The insight into how corporate volunteering works and the best approaches has been very useful and helped our understanding greatly, not just for BCM but also for the other voluntary groups."

"The Pilotlighters had a gentle way of challenging and pushing us all. Their role in giving us focus has been huge. We couldn’t see a future, but now we feel positive."

"The charity has grown from strength to strength through this programme and we've been successful of other large grants during this time of the Pilotlighters support."

"The Weston Charity Awards has helped us to rewrite our strategic plan. We've now got a new vision and mission and a very clear idea of what our journey is going to be over the next five years. It's provided a lot of clarity to everybody on the team."

"It can feel quite tumultuous to start with because you're taking everything apart, but actually, there is that lightbulb moment where it all seems to coalesce and start to make sense. So yeah. Keep the faith. It's worth it."