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Supporting communities

We aim to be an energetic and valuable contributor to the communities in which we operate. Our commitment includes active involvement in a range of community volunteering and charity partnerships.

£100,000

charitable donation during the Covid-19 pandemic

£43,500+

raised for Macmillan Cancer Support, the 2020 employee Charity of the Year

70+

Christmas hampers provided to families in need

Employee Volunteer Scheme

Through our community volunteer scheme, every Paragon employee can take a day out each year to volunteer for specific initiatives that help with education and tackle poverty.

We focus our efforts on supporting projects which:

  • educate school pupils to avoid them getting into poverty
  • support individuals currently experiencing poverty
  • help individuals to get out of poverty and back into work

We work alongside Business in The Community to target schemes in need of assistance.

Volunteer scheme

Volunteer Scheme Partners

Our employee volunteer scheme has helped us to build links with a wide range of organisations.

Reading partners

Reading Partners

Reading Partners helps children in under-resourced schools who struggle with reading. Volunteers provide hour-long tutoring sessions to students, following a structured, evidence-based curriculum developed with an expert teams of curriculum advisors.

Homeless people

SIFA Fireside

SIFA Fireside is a specialist centre in Birmingham, which provides regular meals, clothing and medical assistance to homeless people. Volunteers help with catering and other support tasks.

Ready for work

Ready for Work

Ready for Work and Life Ready are Business in The Community initiatives operating across the UK. They support some of society’s most disadvantaged people back into employment. Volunteers help participants develop their CVs, improve their interview skills and build their financial awareness.

Local schools

Secondary schools

We foster strong links with local schools, joining in a range of careers days and helping students with CV writing and interview schools. In Solihull, we regularly work with:

  • St Peter’s School
  • Alderbrook School
  • Tudor Grange Academy
  • Solihull Sixth Form
Secondary school
Primary school volunteers

Stanville Primary School

Paragon volunteers helped Stanville Primary School in Sheldon to spruce up their Early Years playground, refreshing flowerbeds, a pergola and a playhouse for children aged 4-6.

Charity of the Year

Each year, our employees select a charity for a fundraising focus. In 2020, our employees raised over £43,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, despite the disruption caused to planned activities as a result of the pandemic. For 2021, employees have chosen to fundraise for the Alzheimer’s Society.

Move for Macmillan

Move for Macmillan

A total of 67 employees from 13 different departments clocked up over 10,000 km during lockdown in their daily exercise time, attracting significant sponsorship from colleagues, friends and family.

Coffee morning

Paragon’s biggest coffee morning

A wide range of virtual get-togethers and fundraising challenges delivered an impressive contribution to Macmillan’s annual, Coffee Morning event.

In 2019, employees raised £28,000 for Dementia UK and, in 2018, they raised £15,000 for Solihull Mind and Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Financial services and local community charities

Paragon, like many other financial services organisations, contributes to the Foundation for Credit Counselling which operates the StepChange Debt Charity. In 2020, we made a contribution of £1,100,000.

We also contribute to local charities throughout the year by way of single donations. In 2020, these contributions exceeded £38,000. Our main objective is to support those serving the communities in which we operate and in 2020, we helped a range of local schools, sports clubs, hospitals and hospices, as well as charities including:

  • The Downs Syndrome Association
  • Get Set Girls
  • Great Ormond Street Hospital
  • Lupus UK
Childrens charity
Christmas hamper

Christmas hampers for CAP clients

In 2020, employees filled over 70 hampers with food and gifts on behalf of the debt counselling charity, Christians Against Poverty. The hampers were then delivered to families in the West Midlands area dealing with debt and in need of some extra care at Christmas.

‘Every year, without fail, we are all so impressed with the overwhelming generosity and thoughtfulness of the people who put the hampers together.’

Owen O’Brien
West Birmingham CAP Centre Manager