Social responsibility - our work in the community

Latcham is proud of its roots in Bristol. Our factory and offices are based in Hengrove in South Bristol, and over the years we’ve made sure we've forged strong ties with and given back to the local area, through sponsorships, activities and charitable donations that help people in Bristol and the South West. Here are some of the initiatives that we’ve been involved with recently.

Circus Starr

Circus Starr describes itself as “The circus with a purpose,” bringing free live circus shows to children who may not be able to attend mainstream events due to additional needs. Circus Starr puts on 148 inclusive, family events a year to bring the circus experience to children who may not otherwise be able to experience it. At these shows “shouting out, dancing and jumping up and down are expected. At our circus, everyone is absolutely encouraged to let go of their worries, get involved, and be themselves.”

Circus Starr relies on donations so they can provide their circus shows for free. Free tickets are sent to children and their families through a network of hospices, schools, hospitals, regional branches of national charities and support groups. Families can also apply directly to Circus Starr.

We’ve been supporting Circus Starr’s work for many years, most recently by contributing to their community event in Bristol. With the pandemic contributing to increased feelings of isolation, it was more important than ever to support the event, allowing families that need it to have a well-deserved afternoon filled with happiness and laughter.

Team England Hip Hop Dance

Latcham is helping a local dance group represent England in the 2022 International Cheerleading Union championships in America. 

Competing in both the junior and senior categories, Team England Hip Hop are hoping to win the gold medal while representing their country at the highest level. 

This talented group is completely unfunded and relies on donations, often using their own money to train, travel and compete.

FC Brislington

Latcham are the proud sponsors of our local youth football club, FC Brislington’s Under 15 Colts team. FC Brislington are one of Bristol’s biggest youth football clubs, with over a dozen girls and boys teams representing the club every weekend.  Latcham has provided the strips for the team, with our logo proudly displayed on the front, and will continue to support them in the future.

InHope

in 170 Bristolians are homeless. Competition for housing is fierce. High rents and lack of housing in the region have created a situation where it’s extremely difficult for a person to find a home once they have been made homeless.

InHope is a Bristol charity that provides benefits and housing advice, listening support, foodbanks, and an emergency women-only night shelter. They also run the award-winning Wild Goose Cafe, which runs a drop-in service providing hot meals, showers, clothes and toiletries for anyone who needs them.

We’ve been supporting InHope for a number of years, most recently with a charity bake sale. Our receptionist Verity raised £400 for InHope, which was matched by our managing director Mike Hughes, bringing the total to £800.

Topic Heroes

As print specialists, we know how powerful print can be. 

Topic Heroes encourages children who struggle with reading or writing, and works to make literacy exciting for them. This is why we chose to support Topic Heroes, a unique way of inspiring children to write. Topic Heroes is an online creative writing tool with many forms and topics to choose from - children can write poems, short stories, newspaper articles or autobiographies, on a variety of topics that they pick. Topic Heroes has a unique surprise up its sleeve - every child that writes on a topic is rewarded with their very own professionally printed book.

We donated £3000 to Topic Heroes, so they can continue their invaluable work in schools throughout the country.

The CATT Community Transport Bus

The CATT bus is a community-owned, volunteer-run bus service which operates house-to-house in South Bristol, providing a lifeline for many elderly people in the area. Many people rely on the CATT bus to get to appointments-over 650 active members rely on a team of volunteer drivers to get them to hospital, make social visits and have a life outside the home. Recently, the CATT van has been vital for getting people to their Covid vaccine appointments.

This incredible service charges its members just £10 a year to run shuttle services, day trips, group hire and hospital trips for isolated Bristolians. The CATT bus gives independence to people who would otherwise not be able to get out and about. The CATT van continues to operate with a reduced service during the pandemic.

This important and life-enhancing service relies on the local community to be able to continue.

This is why Latcham have been providing parking and storage for CATT at their premises free of charge.

By supporting the CATT service, we’re doing their part to ensure that vulnerable people in the local area will continue to have the independence that they need.

Tree Aid

Tree Aid is a local charity with a global focus. Headquartered in Brunswick Square, just four miles from our offices, they do incredible work fighting climate change in the drylands of Africa.

Tree Aid works directly with communities to not just plant trees but ensure their long-term survival. They plant crop trees that allow local

people to use the trees for food and income, which in turn ensures the long term survival of the trees.

Recently, Tree Aid’s director of operations, Georges Bazongo, spoke at COP26, reminding political and business leaders that rewilding, nature and forests are crucial for stopping climate change.

As of October, we donate a percentage of all new business to Tree Aid.

Find out more about the organisations we support

Circus Starr
Team England Hip Hop Dance
FC Brislington
InHope
Topic Heroes
The CATT Bus
Tree Aid