Charity and Community

Our Charity of the Year

As a well-known, reputable employer across Cumbria, we recognise the importance of supporting the local community in which we live and work.  As a business we receive hundreds of requests for sponsorship and donations from many individuals, charities, and organisations, most of which are very deserving.

However, as our resources are limited we can unfortunately not assist every good cause.  For this reason we have chosen to focus our efforts on one Charity of the Year.

We are delighted to announce that this year we will be supporting Jigsaw, Cumbria’s Children’s Hospice, as our Charity of the Year 2026.

Jigsaw plays an irreplaceable role in supporting children and young adults across Cumbria and South West Scotland who are living with complex, life‑limiting illnesses.  Their specialist team provides personalised, one to one care in a warm, home from home environment.  Offering everything from day to day support and activities to respite, short breaks and end of life care.

For many families, Jigsaw is a lifeline, giving them comfort, stability and compassionate support during the most challenging moments of their lives.  Each year their services cost £5.2 million and 80% of that comes from fundraising, so throughout 2026 #TeamDA will be hosting fundraiser initiatives to support their vital work.

If you would like to make a donation you can do so by clicking the link provided below:

 
Donate here

Apply to be our Charity of the Year 2027

We hold a number of fundraising events throughout the year such as bake days, quiz nights and treasure hunts, and all of the funds raised go to our Charity of the Year.

We choose our Charity of the Year in December each year with our ‘charity year’ running from January to December.

If you would like to be considered as our next Charity of the Year please submit a short written application (no more than 300 words) in support of your charity and send it to marketing@david-allen.co.uk or by post to:

Charity of the Year
David Allen
Dalmar House
Barras Lane Estate
Dalston
Carlisle
CA5 7NY

Sponsorship and donation requests

Requests for sponsorship, donations or raffle prizes can be made by contacting our marketing team.  Please note that the majority of our fundraising is focused on our Charity of the Year which dramatically reduces the level of help we are able to give to other good causes.

Please contact us with details of your organisation and the cause you support complete with:

• An overview of the financial goal of your organisation
• Dates of key events or campaigns
• Suggestions for fundraising initiatives
• Your promotion expectations along with details of your social channels.

by email to marketing@david-allen.co.uk or post to:

Sponsorship Request
David Allen
Dalmar House
Barras Lane Estate
Dalston
Carlisle
CA5 7NY

Other Charities we support

Alongside our annual Charity of the Year, we are proud to nurture long term partnerships with organisations that play a vital role in supporting our community’s wellbeing, culture and environment.  These relationships reflect our wider commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, ensuring that our support reaches across different aspects of life in Cumbria and beyond.

As proud patrons of Tullie, David Allen IT Solutions supports a hub of learning, creativity and heritage.  Tullie inspires people of all ages through exhibitions and education programmes that celebrate both local and global culture.  By helping sustain this invaluable resource, we invest in enriching experiences that spark curiosity and broaden horizons.

We are also honoured to support Cumbria Youth Zone (CYZ), which provides a safe, welcoming environment for young people to learn, grow and thrive.  Through engaging activities, mentoring and opportunities, CYZ empowers young people with the skills and confidence to achieve their potential.  Our patronage is part of our belief that the future of our communities depends on encouraging the next generation.

At David Allen Financial Services, we believe wellbeing goes beyond physical health and exercise, it is about supporting people and the community in every part of life.  Our partnership with Watchtree Nature Reserve reflects this commitment.

By sponsoring the Watchtree Wellbeing Trail and supporting events such as their 10k runs and endurance challenges, we help create opportunities for people to connect, encourage one another, and enjoy the benefits of both physical and mental wellbeing.

In the same way, financial wellbeing can be about setting people on the right track.  We know that conversations around money can sometimes cause worry and anxiety, so having someone to turn to for guidance is essential.  Our advisers are here to help individuals and families work towards their financial goals with confidence and peace of mind.

Give a day to charity

All employees of David Allen who wish to take part in voluntary, community, or charitable work are encouraged to do so.  In support of this initiative, each employee of the firm is granted one day per year, paid leave in order to get involved in a community or charity day.

This is a great way to support good causes and offers an opportunity for our colleagues to work together within their local community, on activities that directly benefit our local area.

Cumbria Community Foundation

If your application is unsuccessful then head over to the Cumbria Community Foundation website.

David Allen contributes to the Cumbria Community Foundation each year. This worthwhile local cause looks to support people and organisations wishing to invest in the local community. The Cumbria Community Foundation is an independent local charity and you could be just what they are looking for!

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) means that we take responsibility for the outcome of our activities on the environment, society and the economy, having a positive impact in all that we do. Our business has been built on basic principles of trust, loyalty and commitment to our clients. We apply these same principles in all our dealings with our clients, our people and other third parties. We believe that the consistent application of those principles has formed the basis of long-term relationships in the course of conducting our business.

We aim to exceed our clients’ expectations providing a first class, efficient, caring and continuing professional service. We’re proud to say that 99% of our clients would rate their main point of contact as excellent.

CSR Policy

We support our local community wherever we can and our ‘Charity of the Year’ initiative has raised more than £60,000 for local charities since 2015. We understand that the talent and energy within our people can contribute to the kind of society we all want to live in. Our ‘give a day’ policy offers our people one days paid leave each year to get involved in a community or charity day. This is a great way to support valuable causes and offers our people the opportunity to work together within their local communities, on activities that benefit our local area. Individuals are free to choose the focus of their voluntary work whether it be environmental responsibility or charity fundraising. All of our people are encouraged to take up community roles, whether as trustees of local charities, school governors or as committed volunteers.

Our business recognises the need to protect the natural environment.  Keeping our environment clean and unpolluted is a benefit to all. We expect all our people to promote an environmentally-aware culture and help us to meet the targets we set to improve our environmental performance. To achieve this, we actively promote environmental awareness amongst our people and have daily practices in place to encourage positive behaviour to achieve a greener culture and reduce our carbon footprint. This includes reducing our use of paper and recycling more, using greener forms of transport where possible, through the cycle to work scheme or car sharing, using energy efficient technologies such as LED lighting and efficient heating.

We want to be a responsible business that meets the highest standards of ethics and professionalism and as such we will conduct every aspect of our business with honesty, integrity and openness, respecting the interests of our people, our clients and third parties.

Our Previous Charities of The Year

2025 – Blood Bikes Cumbria and Blood Bikes Dumfries & Galloway

Last year our charity of the year was Blood Bikes Cumbria and Blood Bikes Dumfries & Galloway.

These amazing organisations are run entirely by volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to transporting vital blood, medication, medical equipment and breast milk to hospitals and key services across Cumbria and South Scotland.

Blood Bikes play a vital role in critical situations by delivering blood and other urgent medical supplies where they’re needed most.  Their distinctive livery and slim, agile design allow riders to weave through heavy traffic quickly and safely, ensuring lifesaving items reach hospitals and patients without delay.

Both charities are entirely self-funded, with every penny raised going directly towards their running costs, so we are delighted to share that we raised a grand total of £10,000 last year.

2024 - The Great North Air Ambulance

Our 2024 partner was the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS)

The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a charitably funded air ambulance service which provides life-saving care throughout the North East, North Yorkshire, Cumbria and the Isle of Man.

They operate two helicopters 365 days a year and also operate a night-time service in the North East and Cumbria on rapid response vehicles.

The aircraft cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles and on board their aircraft and rapid response vehicles are specialist doctors and paramedics who effectively bring the hospital to the patient.

The level of skill and expertise of the on-board team mean they respond to the most critically ill and injured people, giving them the best chance of survival.

Last year, their critical care team responded to more than 2,000 incidents across the region, including road traffic collisions, cardiac arrests and falls. That’s potentially several lives saved, and many families kept together as a result.

As a charity, GNAAS do not receive Government funding and must therefore raise £8.5m a year through public donations to remain operational.

It was a pleasure to support this charity as our 2024 Charity of the Year raising a grand total of £1949.00.

2023 - Hospice at Home, Carlisle & North Lakeland and Dumfries & Galloway Befriending Project.

Our Chairty of the year in 2023 was Hospice at Home, Carlisle and North Lakeland, which provides high quality support for adults, within our local community, who have palliative and end of life care needs.  Their core and largest service is its nursing team which consists of Registered Nurses and Healthcare Assistants who are skilled in providing nursing care and support in the last year of life and at the end of life.

Care and support is individualised and aims to improve quality of life, facilitate a peaceful and dignified death and to support those who are bereaved.  Their clinical service area covers a mixture of urban and rural communities, a region of approximately 1, 500 square miles throughout North and East Cumbria.

We also supported the Dumfries & Galloway Befriending Project who work to support and enrich the lives of young people, aged 8 to 18, across Dumfries and Galloway through Befriending.

The Project offers young people experiencing challenges at home, school or in the community, the opportunity of extra support and regular positive adult attention.

Having a befriender can help the young person tackle difficulties before they get too big, introduce them to new activities and help them be the best they can be.  The young people benefit from the energy and enthusiasm of their befrienders and gain confidence from forming a positive relationship with a supportive adult.

2022 - The Lake District Calvert Trust

In 2022 we proudly supported The Lake District Calvert Trust as our chosen charity, who have been welcoming guests with disabilities to their dedicated centre, in order to enjoy the benefits of their outdoor activities in a safe and accessible, yet challenging environment.  They provide an abundance of incredible outdoor activities such as Hand Biking & Cycling, Ghyll Scrambling, Orienteering and much more!

The Lake District Calvert Trust pride themselves on being able to deliver a meaningful, adventurous and fun programme of activities suited to their visitor’s confidence and abilities.

As part of their charitable aims, their state-of-the-art water centre and riding school are open to locals and visitors, to ensure that every aspect of what they do is open to as many people as possible.

2021/2022 - Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland.

Between 2021 and 2022 we chose the Hospice at Home as our charity of the year, a team which consists of Registered Nurses and Healthcare Assistants who are skilled in providing nursing care and support in the last year of life and at the end of life.

Care and support may be provided by one or a combination of the services so that a person’s needs may be more fully met. Services are free of charge to those who need them.

Care and support is individualised and aims to improve quality of life, facilitate a peaceful and dignified death and to support those who are bereaved.  Hospice at Home’s clinicians work closely with other health, social care and voluntary organisations who may also be involved in a person’s care.

Hospice at Home’s clinical service area covers a mixture of urban and rural communities, a region of approximately 1, 500 square miles throughout North and East Cumbria.

2019/ 2020 - Team Evie and RSABI.

Team Evie are a charity based in West Cumbria, who we supported during 2019 and 2020.  This incredible organisation was set up to help sick children and their families all in the name of amazing Evie, who’s influence and inspiration spread far and wide, reaching places all over the world.  When Evie passed away it became clear that as a community ‘Team Evie’ needed to continue her positive impact on the world and the charity was created!

Their aim to spread Evie’s story, love and inspiration as far and wide as we can, by helping as many children and their families as possible, who face similar circumstances and challenges to those faced by Evie.

The Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institute (RSABI) were our Scottish charity partner for 2019 and 2020. RSABI provide emotional, practical and financial support to individuals and their families across the agricultural sector including farming, crofting and growing.

The funds we raised at TeamDA contributed towards helping support people from Scottish agriculture emotionally, practically and financially in times of need.