Singleton Birch donating profits to local good causes

The Singleton Birch Group is giving back to the North Lincolnshire community by donating a share of its profits to a fund that will deliver grants to local groups, organisations and good causes.

And, one of the first to benefit from funding is Bonby Pre-School in Worlaby who will be using their £2,000 grant to create a “mud park” for the children.

Singleton Birch, which is based in Melton Ross, is donating a percentage of it’s profits each month from all of its businesses to a dedicated community fund and there is already more than £40,000 up for grabs.

Run by a group of volunteers from across the business, the fund has already made a number of donations and is now calling on voluntary groups, charities, good causes and local organisations to apply for funds.

Chief executive of Singleton Birch, Richard Stansfield, said: “We’ve been part of this community for more than 200 years and, while a portion of our shares are already held in charitable trust, we wanted to do more and make sure we could give something back to local organisations and good causes.

“We all live and work in this area and it’s important that we play our part and contribute. We hope this fund will help to make positive changes throughout the local area and we want as many groups and people to benefit. Please get in touch and let us know how we can help.”

The grant to Bonby Pre-School will be used to transform an area of land into an interactive and educational outdoor space that will feature planting, shelters, a shed for storage, chickens, a weather station and gardening tools so children can grow their own vegetables.

Bonby Pre-School manager, Jessica Beach, says: “Receiving this money will make sure this project is a success and it means we can make a bigger impact sooner. This is such a fantastic opportunity for our children and the donation is making it a reality.

“Our children are really excited and have been down to the land to explore some ideas – they’ve already named it ‘mud park’!

“This will give the children opportunities which they wouldn’t normally have. It will also increase our children’s physical and mental health and give them life skills that we are hoping will transition with them throughout their lives.”

Singleton Birch has been mining lime in Lincolnshire since the 1850s and the group has now grown to also include businesses providing renewable energy, waste, biogas, chemicals and silo services employing more than 150 people locally.

So far, the fund has supported a number of local causes that are important to employees or that reflect the values of the business. Employees are also able to make representations to the fund for causes that are close to their hearts.

Chair of the Singleton Birch Community Fund, Viki Winton, adds: “It’s fantastic to be able to support local good causes like Bonby Pre-School and see how it will transform opportunities for the children.

“However, we want to be able to help more groups and I urge everyone to apply. Just tell us a bit about your group or cause and what the money will be used for.”

The board of volunteers are now inviting more groups to apply for funding by emailing communityfund@singletonbirch.co.uk

There is no limit to the amount of funding you can receive and each application is reviewed by the board of volunteers and awarded a score.

For more information about the fund, email communityfund@singletonbirch.co.uk