Businesses urged to back Shropshire charity's 'Stand With Us' campaign
A Shropshire based charity, which provides mobility therapy for children across the UK, has launched a campaign urging businesses to sponsor essential equipment used in its ground-breaking treatment.
The Movement Centre in Oswestry is hoping its Stand With Us campaign will bring in much-needed funding from corporate sponsorship to help it meet the high costs of designing, building and maintaining standing frames which are used extensively in its Targeted Training programme.
The campaign gives businesses the opportunity to sponsor a limited number of standing frames which the children and families take home with them and often feature on social media as they journey their progress.
The first two businesses to back the campaign are PR and content creation agency J&PR Ltd based in Wellington and WPG Ltd, a print company based in Welshpool, both of which are long time supporters of the charity.
Targeted Training is a unique and innovative approach that focuses on helping children with movement difficulties achieve greater independence and mobility and standing frames are an integral part of the process.
Curtis Langley, Fundraising Lead at The Movement Centre, said: “We are very excited to be launching our campaign. It offers existing and new corporate supporters the opportunity to sponsor a standing frame, an essential piece of equipment used by children who attend The Movement Centre.
“They receive a standing frame from us which allows them to take part in therapy sessions on a daily basis at home. Then, every eight weeks, the families return to The Movement Centre for an assessment, and any necessary alterations can be made to the frames.
“The standing frames get a lot of exposure on children's social media platforms, in their own homes and at the centre and we felt the campaign would be an ideal opportunity for businesses to have their branding seen by a wider audience and support us in the important work we do.
“Fundraising is essential to us and without these efforts and the generosity of individuals, businesses and other organisations we simply would not be able to deliver our Targeted Training programme - treatment that is making a life-changing difference to the children and their families that come to us.
“The standing frames and cost of physio was previously part funded by the families but now all of the Targeted Training programmes are fully funded so it is important to use every sponsorship opportunity and potential fundraising income stream due to the challenges all charities are facing during the cost of living crisis. The standing frames are costly to design, build and maintain."
The charity is asking corporate sponsors to commit to either a £500 or £250 package.
Curtis added: “For £500 you will have exclusive sponsorship of a standing frame for one year, your logo on the frame, an invitation to see a Targeted Training session, good news stories about the child using the frame, social media coverage and updates from The Movement Centre."
“For £250 you will receive shared sponsorship with up to three other businesses of one standing frame, your logo on the standing frame, social media coverage and updates from The Movement Centre.
“We’d like to thank J&PR and WPG for becoming the first companies to give their backing to the campaign and being the first to have their logos on the standing frames.”
Kirsty Smallman, director of J&PR, said: "It was during a visit to The Movement Centre, whilst I was watching a Targeted Training session with an amazing young boy, that I thought there was a missed sponsorship opportunity.
"People spend hours looking at the stands and they often appear on social media too so it's a great opportunity for both the businesses and for the charity. The new ‘Stand With Us’ campaign was born and we are so pleased to support it.
"The Targeted Training programme at The Movement Centre is often life changing for the young person and their family. The slightest development in the ability to move arms or legs, hold your head or hold your posture makes such a difference to their lives."
Paul Jones, Managing Director at WPG, added: “When we were asked for help with sponsorship from The Movement Centre we were only too pleased to be able to support such a great charity.”
For more information about the Stand With Us Campaign and to get involved, email curtis@themovementcentre.co.uk or call 01691 404248
