A Note From Fiona Halton, Chief Executive of Pilotlight
We now have 225 Pilotlighters working with 49 charities in two locations: London and Scotland. We hope to have a Cardiff office open and running by January 2009.
Pilotlight is growing. More importantly, the charities we work with are also growing: a crucial measure of our Pilotlighters’ impact. Charities being Pilotlit by our teams show a 22% rate of growth, as opposed to an average for the voluntary sector of just under 3%. This translates to much-needed services for more people.
CCVS provides transport to hospital for local people in the Cotswolds. They are now covering over a third more road-miles, and so transporting many more people. Brent Homelessness Fathers’ Group has just received £80,000, and as a result will be able to open its creche five days a week as opposed to two. In London over the last three months, five of our corporate members have expanded their memberships with Pilotlight: Morgan Stanley, JobCentre Plus, Vodafone, Serco and Lazard.Over the last five years our Pilotlighters and charities have helped us to refine a process that is proving effective time and again. Now we hope to see that process benefit charities in Scotland, such as The Jeely Piece in Glasgow and the deprived children it works with, and Sikhsanjog in Edinburgh which works with isolated Sikh women.
We hope Pilotlight London and Pilotlight Scotland will soon be joined by Pilotlight Wales and West. Katrina Morley Fletcher is currently working on a feasibility study for a Pilotlight there. It is clear that there is a need for Pilotlight's support, and that Pilotlight could benefit the small, grassroots charities in the area. It is also clear, though, that the business sector we need to provide that support is significantly smaller than in London or Scotland. We hope that our ongoing conversations with potential Pilotlighters, both individual and corporate, will continue to inspire the interest and support shown so far - to give us a solid foundation on which to open a Pilotlight serving this region. If you know of anyone that we should speak to in Wales, or anyone who you feel might be interested in becoming involved with Pilotlight, please contact Kat at [email protected] or on 020 7396 7447
The Rt Hon The Baroness Bottomley quoted from Churchill at an event given by Odgers, Ray and Berendtson, which she kindly hosted for us: “You make a living by what you earn; you make a life by what you give.”
Do look at our Evaluation Report to see the difference you can and will make.