Posted on Monday 9 September 2019

in News

£500,000 for young cancer patients thanks to the ongoing Societe Generale UK and CLIC Sargent partnership

UK staff of Societe Generale Group, a leading European financial services company, are celebrating having exceeded a £500,000 fundraising milestone for CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, just sixteen months after the launch of the three-year partnership. The milestone includes matching from the Societe Generale UK Foundation.

Societe Generale staff celebrate raising £500,000 for CLIC Sargent

With an aim to raise an incredible £1 million for CLIC Sargent over three years, the funding will go towards helping young people to achieve their education and employment ambitions following a cancer diagnosis.

CLIC Sargent analysis shows 74% of young cancer patients are worried about finding a job and three in five say their diagnosis gets in the way of school or college [1]. Under the partnership, CLIC Sargent and Societe Generale UK have launched a number of initiatives focused on education and employability, including a new ‘Thrive Not Just Survive’ grants programme aimed at young cancer patients aged between 14 and 24-years-old looking to get an education or career goal back on track.

43 young people have so far been selected as beneficiaries to receive grant funds to put towards their goals, including course fees for a law conversion course, photography equipment to launch a new business, carpentry tools for an apprenticeship, private tuition for core GCSE subjects, and qualification fees to become a live events technician.

Christophe Lattuada, Chief Executive Officer, Societe Generale London Branch, and UK Chief Country Officer at Societe Generale, said: “A cancer diagnosis is devastating for any family under any circumstance. Beyond the challenges relating to treatment, there is also the impact on morale, confidence as well as the ambitions and dreams young people have relating to education and work. This partnership with CLIC Sargent is helping to create a truly innovative programme that is helping young people to realise their ambitions, whether linked to education or employment, and we are delighted with the progress to date.”

Under the partnership, funding is also supporting an innovative research project where CLIC Sargent’s young beneficiaries are seeking to better understand the impact cancer has on young people and their parents’ employment. As well as helping CLIC Sargent to better understand and to take action on the issue, the programme has itself been a learning and development opportunity for the young researchers.

Funds raised during the partnership are also going towards increasing the education and employment support delivered by CLIC Sargent’s specialist care teams.

The charity has also benefitted from a unique gift in kind, with Societe Generale UK transferring 10% of its apprenticeship levy allocation to invest in data science training for a group of CLIC Sargent staff. The training will equip staff with knowledge of new ways of working, seek opportunities to sustainably increase reach and impact by using new technologies, and improving the charity’s ability to make evidenced-based decisions.

The £500,000 milestone was reached after staff took on a 300-mile London to Paris Bike Ride in July.  The challenge was the latest in a series of bank and staff-led fundraisers that include static bike rides, runs, treks, cake sales, football tournaments and ‘Donate the First’, where many staff opted to donate the first hour or day of their salary to CLIC Sargent in January 2019.

Rachel Kirby-Rider, Director of Income and Engagement at CLIC Sargent, said: “We’re blown away by the support and dedication from Societe Generale UK and Societe Generale UK Foundation. They have done an incredible job to reach this brilliant milestone and every penny raised makes a vital difference to young lives affected by a cancer diagnosis. It’s fantastic to see their enthusiasm for our partnership come to life with the co-creation of innovative projects such as the grants scheme, which will have a long-term positive impact for the young people we support.”

For more information about CLIC Sargent’s work go to: www.clicsargent.org.uk

 

ENDS

Notes to editors

[1] No young person with cancer left out, CLIC Sargent, 2013

For more information please contact Rebecca Bourley on 020 8752 2938 or Rebecca.Bourley@younglivesvscancer.org.uk

About cancer in children and young people

Today, 12 more children and young people in the UK will hear the devastating news that they have cancer. Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years. Although survival rates are over 80%, cancer remains the single largest cause of death from disease in children and young people in the UK.

About CLIC Sargent

When cancer strikes young lives CLIC Sargent helps families limit the damage cancer causes beyond their health. CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading charity for young cancer patients and their families. We provide specialist support, to help and guide each young cancer patient and their family. We will fight tirelessly for them, individually, locally and nationally. For more information, visit www.clicsargent.org.uk

About Societe Generale UK Foundation

Societe Generale UK Foundation is a registered charity (registered charity number 1039013).

Note to sub editors

Please note that the name ‘CLIC Sargent’ should not be abbreviated to CLIC, and that the word ‘CLIC’ should always appear in capitals, as above.

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