Earlier this year, the cardfactory Foundation opened its internal Community Fund and asked colleagues across all 38 UK retail regions and 4 business areas to nominate a local charity close to their hearts. As a Foundation, we want to support good causes in every corner of the UK, and nobody knows those causes better than the people who live and work in the communities they serve.
The response was brilliant. 42 charities were chosen to receive a £5,000 grant each, covering everything from hospices and mental health services to children’s charities, community groups and medical research, and every single nomination came from a cardfactory colleague.
Over the past few weeks, members of the Foundation team have been out on the road visiting some of the stores behind these nominations, to say thank you in person and hear the stories that made these charities so special. Pushpinder Gill, our Foundation Head, and Ellie Saltrick, our Fund Manager, spent time with cardfactory colleagues up and down the country, and in some cases got to meet representatives from the charities themselves too. Here are a few of the stories from those visits.
The OLLIE Foundation, St Albans
At the St Albans cardfactory store, the team celebrated the grant awarded to The OLLIE Foundation, a suicide prevention charity working to reduce the stigma around mental health through education, training and community engagement. The charity was nominated by Store Manager Michelle Tuley, and the visit brought together Regional Manager Paula Trevaskis along with Maria Nastri, Head of The OLLIE Foundation, and her colleague Joanna Cakmak.
Maria said: “Being nominated by a member of staff at our local St Albans cardfactory store demonstrates the power of community connections. This funding will directly support The OLLIE Foundation’s mission to prevent suicide through education and community engagement, helping us reach more people with life-saving support.”
Paula added: “It was a privilege to meet the team from The OLLIE Foundation and hear more about their work. Well done to Michelle for putting this charity forward, it’s a fantastic result for the local community.”
And Michelle, who made the nomination, said: “Suicide prevention isn’t talked about enough, and this charity is doing brave, necessary work to change that. I’m so proud that something I put forward has turned into real funding that will help them reach more people.”
Hearts Milk Bank Wales, Llanelli
Enzo was born nine weeks early in April 2025, and spent six weeks in the neonatal unit at Singleton Hospital in Swansea, relying on donor breast milk supplied by Hearts Milk Bank Wales while his mum, Katie, was unable to produce enough of her own. Katie works as a Team Leader at the Llanelli cardfactory store, and it was her mother-in-law, Danna Wookey, Store Manager at the same branch, who nominated the charity for a £5,000 grant.
“The donated milk helped Enzo grow stronger while he was in special care,” Katie said. “We will always be grateful to the donors and everyone involved in making this service possible.”
Danna said the experience showed her first-hand how much families need in those early, frightening days: “Knowing Enzo was getting the nutrients he needed helped us through such a difficult time.”
Hearts Milk Bank Wales relies on donor milk from mothers with more than their own baby needs, as well as milk donated in memory of a baby who has died. Everything is pasteurised and screened before reaching vulnerable babies in neonatal units and in the community. Felicity Webster, the charity’s Director of Communications, said: “We owe a huge thank you to Danna for nominating us. This vital funding will enable us to continue providing safe, screened donor human milk to more tiny babies like Enzo, helping save lives.”
Oakhaven Hospice, New Milton & Lymington
Two colleagues, Cindy Hughes in Lymington and Georgie Littlejohn in New Milton, both put forward Oakhaven Hospice, which provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care across the New Forest, Totton and Waterside communities, supporting over 450 patients at any one time, free of charge.
Georgie’s nomination was rooted in personal experience. Her own sister needed end-of-life care, and it was only then that she understood how much Oakhaven does, not just for patients but for their families too. Cindy’s nomination highlighted the hospice’s wider Wellbeing service, which supports anyone navigating a life-limiting illness, caring for a loved one, or coping with loss and bereavement.
AGAPE Wellbeing, East Kilbride
For Tracey Longstaffe in East Kilbride, this nomination was personal from the start. Her uncle attends AGAPE Wellbeing every day, and she has seen for herself the difference it has made to his life. AGAPE runs activities for adults with learning disabilities, mental health support, men’s groups, family support and sensory play for young children, all designed to help people feel connected and supported.
“They do everything for them,” Tracey told Ellie. “They don’t just run activities, they support the whole family.” When AGAPE heard they had won a grant, manager Drew didn’t wait for the official announcement, he went straight to Tracey’s store to thank her in person. “He just kept saying, ‘Thank you, Tracey. You don’t know what this means to us.'”
Regional Manager Laura McMeeking said every application was deserving, but Tracey’s stood out for the genuine care behind it.
Plean’s Voice, Stirling
Ellie also travelled to Stirling to meet Stacy McLintock, who nominated Plean’s Voice Community Trust, a charity run entirely by local volunteers that has become the heartbeat of the village. Children’s fun days, community lunches, flowers planted around the village and seasonal celebrations all add up to a stronger, more connected community, offering companionship for older residents and a safe place to play for local children.
Stacy told Ellie that Plean’s Voice doesn’t really feel like a charity, it feels like neighbours looking after neighbours. Regional Manager Amanda Mitchell said what stood out in Stacy’s application was the emotion behind it, and it captured exactly what the Community Fund is about.
Hillhouse, Kilmarnock
Ellie also met Michelle Swan and the team from Hillhouse, a charity that has spent more than 50 years supporting families facing financial hardship with clothing, footwear, baby equipment and other essentials, given with dignity and compassion. Michelle regularly sees Hillhouse volunteers coming into her store for balloons and fundraising supplies, and knows how highly the organisation is regarded across Kilmarnock.
The visit turned up a lovely piece of history too: Hillhouse was founded more than five decades ago by the current trustee’s mother, and while the charity has evolved to meet the community’s changing needs, its commitment to local families has never wavered. Regional Manager Susan Glass joined Ellie to mark the occasion.
Ashgate Hospice, Rotherham
Ellie’s most recent visit took her to the cardfactory store in Rotherham to present a grant in support of Ashgate Hospice in Chesterfield, nominated by colleague Jayne Stables.
Jayne’s nomination came from a deeply personal place. Her daughter’s best friend died from cancer at just 44, and was cared for at Ashgate Hospice in her final months, where staff even let her dog stay by her side. In her memory, Jayne’s daughter and friends have been walking the UK coastline over five years to raise money for Ashgate, and Jayne hoped the Community Fund could help take that support further. Huge congratulations to Jayne, and to her daughter and friends for their incredible ongoing fundraising.
Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, Funky Pigeon
Ellie also visited the Funky Pigeon team in Bristol to present a £5,000 grant to Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC), nominated by Rebeka Hajdu, Lizzie Hajdu and Nicky Gray.
During the visit, Ellie met Mariam Asim, Strategic Partnerships Officer, and one of the charity’s first responders, as well as enjoying a whistle-stop tour of GWAAC’s helicopter.
GWAAC provides life-saving pre-hospital emergency care to 2.1 million people across Bristol and surrounding areas. In 2025 alone, the charity attended a record 2,344 call-outs, with each mission costing around £2,200 and funded entirely through charitable donations.
Thank you, cardfactory colleagues
What stands out isn’t just the causes themselves, it’s the colleagues behind the nominations. Michelle Tuley, Danna, Cindy, Georgie, Tracey, Stacy, Michelle Swan and Jayne all had their own reasons for putting these charities forward, whether that was a family member who relies on a service, a friend cared for in their final months, or simply seeing volunteers doing good in the community every day.
That is exactly what the cardfactory Foundation set out to do with the Community Fund. Rather than deciding from head office who deserves support, we asked the people closest to these communities to tell us, and the result has been 42 charities across the UK receiving funding they might otherwise have struggled to find.
Push and Ellie have loved every minute of meeting colleagues and charity representatives face to face, hearing these stories first-hand and saying a proper thank you for the difference they are making.
If you would like to read more about the cardfactory Foundation and the work we support, visit cardfactoryfoundation.org.uk, and keep an eye on our news and updates page for the latest from the Community Fund.
