To celebrate Giving Tuesday, staff from across all of Norwood’s frontline services and offices, in London and the South-East, joined forces to fundraise money for Norwood on this global day of action.

The day saw staff come to work dressed in the ‘iconic’ Norwood blue, flex their baking skills in an office bake-off and participate in selfie competitions.

The campaign, which began in America, is an antidote to the mass consumerism of Black Friday and aims to get people thinking of others in the run-up to Chanukah and Christmas, be it through donating to charity, volunteering or simply helping a friend, neighbour or family member.

Carol Goodall, Norwood Ravenswood Home Manager, said: “It was so much fun joining in this Giving Tuesday. All the staff and residents went out of their way to support this wonderful cause.”

Katie McGinness, Norwood staff member, said: “What a wonderful day that brought fun and laughter to the whole organisation. I am so glad I got to be a part of it and seeing everyone wearing the Norwood blue was inspiring. What a fantastic campaign to bring everyone together! Let’s not forget the reason behind this, to give back. Why just give on Tuesday? Give every day and help make a difference…”

 Julie Marcow, Kennedy Leigh Family Centre Manager, said: “The Kennedy Leigh Family Centre was buzzing in blue today for Giving Tuesday. So many staff brought colour to this special day and donated to this wonderful cause. Thank you all for participating.”

Kerry Roberts, Head of Workforce Development at Norwood, said: “We are delighted that this year our staff participated in Giving Tuesday alongside donors, helping us forge ever closer to the £12m in voluntary donations we need each and every year to deliver our vital service in the community.”

About Norwood

Norwood is the largest Jewish charity in the UK supporting vulnerable children and their families, children with special educational needs and people with learning disabilities and autism.

Norwood supports over 4,000 people every year, giving them the tools they need to live the most fulfilling lives they can.

Norwood works with 56 local authorities, delivering wide-ranging services in a variety of residential accommodation and supported living services, short-break facilities and family centres across London and the South East.

Through a workforce of over 2,500 – made up of 1,250 staff and 1,500 volunteers – we provide the highest-quality care to transform the lives of children and their families, and vulnerable adults.

 It costs £34m a year to deliver Norwood’s services, £12m of which must be raised from voluntary donations.

About Giving Tuesday

Since its inception in 2014, #GivingTuesday has become one of the biggest events in the global charity calendar, breaking successive Guinness World Records for the most amount of money donated online to charity in 24 hours. In 2016, £48 million was donated online via PayPal with the UK accounting for the second largest amount of donations.

#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organisations to encourage charitable giving and celebrate generosity worldwide.

The Charities Aid Foundation brought #givingtuesday to the UK three years ago. Last year it was the top trend on Twitter throughout the day, with more than 53,800 mentions.

#givingtuesday takes place in over 70 countries including the US, Canada, Germany, Spain, Singapore, Australia, Tanzania, Russia and Ireland.