Great work for chariddy
One of the 10 reasons to work at Neon Play is that we give a percentage of our profits to local charities and ideally ones which are actually based in Cirencester itself. It makes sense to support those who really need it who are within walking distance, so we try to do that.
Raffle prizes
A few weeks back, when we went to the Cirencester Business Awards, a fantastic local charity called Cirencester Housing for Young People (CHYP) did a raffle with a variety of good and OK-ish prizes (standard fare for a local raffle).
Homeless people...in Cirencester?
And a nice lady from CHYP did a really nice speech where she talked about the charity and how even though you think Cirencester is an affluent town and homelessness wouldn’t be an issue, that actually there are 16-25 year olds who have home issues, family issues and mental illness problems who end up in one of their two houses.
The raffle had earned £400 for the charity which was great news for CHYP.
Double your money
As we were listening to this, all togged up in our DJs and quaffing average quality wine whilst chewing on some overcooked chicken - it got us thinking how lucky we were. So in a spur of the moment, semi-alcohol-fuelled, but very sensible fit of generosity, our CEO Oli decided to double the amount raised and so CHYP suddenly had £800, which was brilliant. It was a bit like the Double Money round in Family Fortunes - but without Les Dennis.
"Tidy your bedroom!!"
Two awards and a hangover later, we got talking to CHYP about how we could spend the money Neon Play had donated. And in turns out that one of the bedrooms needs a total head-to-toe refurbish.
Fish and CHYPs
So Oli and business partner Mark took a trip on a sunny day down the road to CHYP’s two houses and spoke to the fantastic staff about CHYP and the guys and girls who live in the two houses. These 16-25 year olds have had a rough ride to get to where they are, but CHYP does an incredible job to try and build them back again, give them life skills, cooking skills, organisational help and the confidence to get out there, try and get a job and start their own lives in their own homes.
LLB - where are you?
We then saw the small bedroom which Neon Play is going to pay to redecorate, carpet and furnish so that a new roommate can live in a tiny bit more comfort and style. Maybe we’ll ask local design guru Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen to come up with a nice colour palette?
Please donate
Anyway, it’s a cracking charity doing a truly, truly sterling job in often very difficult circumstances, so do try and help them if you can - they need £200,000 a year to survive and government-funding has been mostly eradicated for them.
Quote time
Oli Christie, CEO of Neon Play commented, “I’d never heard of CHYP before going to the Ciren Business Awards, so it was fantastic to hear of the great work they do for these young people who really need their help. Neon Play is delighted to be helping redecorate and furnish this bedroom and hope that the lucky inhabitant enjoys living there.”
