3 minute read
6 0 Years of Achievements
Over 60 years of achievements, and counting!
Written by: Colin O’Neill, Oxfordshire Youth
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Funding cuts and skyrocketing competition for grants are pressuring charities to look for alternative ways to ensure their sustainability. From trading in services to community events, fundraisers are straining their creativity to raise awareness and support for their cause. This has resulted in a very exciting change in the relationships between charities and their corporate partners.
The focus has moved from providing financial help to discovering how the organisations can work together in a more meaningful way, where both sides benefit from each other’s expertise, resources and networks. The long-standing partnership between Oxfordshire Youth and Blenheim Palace, is a great example of such a relationship.
A long history Oxfordshire Youth started out as the Oxford Association of Boys Clubs in 1947and the partnership with Blenheim and the Spencer-Churchill family goes all the way back to those early days. The 10th Duke of Marlborough was President of the organisation in the 1960s, and Blenheim Palace hosted a number of events including a charity cricket match in 1968. The 11th Duke took over as President from his father in the early 1970s and continued in that role for the next 40 years.
In the 1990s, the charity rebranded to the Oxfordshire Association of Young People, expanding the scope to cover all young people. In 2011, the 11th Duke stepped down from the role in favour of his daughter Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, who remains as President and is still closely involved with the charity. And in 2013, the charity changed its name again, this time to just Oxfordshire Youth.
Benefits for all Today, Oxfordshire Youth supports over 100 youth organisations in Oxfordshire, reaching over 26,500 young people from all walks of life, genders, faiths, ethnicities and backgrounds.
None of this would be possible without the support of organisations like Blenheim. Provision of facilities for meetings and events (most recently the annual celebration event for donors and beneficiaries), networking, development opportunities and sponsorship are just a few benefits of the relationship. The joint presence at events, like Oxfordshire Youth’s Youth Awards or Blenheim Palace’s Fireworks display, is invaluable.
”Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill
What’s in it for the Palace? Blenheim has the wellbeing of the local community as one of its core values. It believes that its success is linked with the local community and wants to enhance the lives of local people. Oxfordshire Youth enables that by utilising its resources and staff in delivery of projects that fall in line with Blenheim’s values. For example, the charity is helping the Palace develop its young
Charity cricketmatch programme from 1968
workforce through providing accredited leadership development activities for Blenheim’s apprentices.
A stronger relationship The end of 2019 saw Oxfordshire Youth becoming the official charity partner for Blenheim Palace. Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill said: “Blenheim and the Spencer-Churchill family has had a long and very close relationship with Oxfordshire Youth for almost its entire existence.
“We are delighted to further underline our long-term commitment and support for such an important and worthwhile organisation, whose work today is, if anything, even more vital than ever.”
“Blenheim has been a supporter of our work for over 60 years and we are very excited, and extremely grateful, they have agreed to further invest in children and young people in Oxfordshire by supporting Oxfordshire Youth as charity partner,” said Jodie Lloyd-Jones, CEO of Oxfordshire Youth. “We look forward to continuing our close relationship for many more years, enabling us to keep supporting young people to be the best they can be.”
info@oxfordshireyouth.org 01865 767 899 www.oxfordshireyouth.org
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