Libraries Unlimited wins £1,000 Movement for Good Award

Libraries Unlimited has been selected to receive a £1,000 donation as part of Benefact Group’s annual Movement for Good Awards, which is giving over £1million away to charities and good causes.

Members of the public were invited to nominate good causes and winners, including Libraries Unlimited, were drawn at random.

Libraries across Devon support all ages from 0 to 100+, and bring all generations together in vital community hubs. Each library uniquely tailors its support to its local communities, with many acting as warm banks during the winter providing warm clothes rails, hot drinks, community fridges and wellbeing activities for all ages. The £1,000 will be spent on supporting libraries to create programmes that respond to the needs of their local communities.

Rachel Payne, Business Development and Fundraising Manager for Libraries Unlimited said, “We’d like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who voted for Libraries Unlimited to win this award. We are so proud of our libraries and how they consistently go above and beyond for their communities. We are much more than books; we are community centric hubs offering everything from Bounce and Rhyme sessions, to work clubs, to warm banks. In 2023 we saw our average footfall rise by 32% as people sought to seek free, warm spaces where they could connect and beat the cost of living crisis.”

She added, “Every year we support over thousands of children in our bounce and rhyme sessions. Most recently we have taken part in the SEND project, a community arts project that engages young people and vulnerable adults in creative experiences, and it’s been incredible. Over 230 children have engaged with neurodiverse sessions that have inspired them to raise their aspirations and realise their potential. We are delighted to have received £1000 and look forward to being able to continue life changing work just like this.”

Mark Hews, Group Chief Executive at Benefact Group, said: “We would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause as part of our Movement for Good Awards. Benefact Group is a family of award-winning specialist financial services companies and the third largest corporate donor to charity in the UK. Owned by a charity ourselves, charitable giving is at the heart of what we do. All of our available profits go to good causes and the more the Group grows, the more the Group can give.

“We are delighted to be able to donate over £1million to good causes each year through our Movement for Good Awards and are grateful to all our supporters, including the customers of the trusted insurer, Ecclesiastical, and the responsible and sustainable asset manager, EdenTree. We know that £1,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”

Movement for Good is funded by EIO plc, part of the Benefact Group.