Ben Elliot

I'm fundraising for...

In 2008, I founded Quintessentially Foundation. Since then, thanks to the generosity of our loyal supporters, we have raised over £15 million for a variety of incredibly worthy charitable causes. Three years ago, we decided to focus our efforts more locally, supporting small charities based in London who are working with children and young people growing up in poverty. This initiative is called The Firefly Project.

1 in 3 children in London grow up in poverty. This is a shameful statistic. We know that small, frontline charities have some of the best solutions to society's biggest problems, but they are often overlooked and underfunded. Through The Firefly Project’s unrestricted funding and tailored support, we turbo charge our seven inspirational charity partners, all of whom are working at the coalface in the most disadvantaged communities in London.

Our charity partners are:

1. Little Village which redistributes clothes, toys and equipment for babies and children up to the age of 5. The charity passes on high quality, pre-loved items to families who need support in the pivotal early years of a child’s life.

2. 20/20 Levels which works with young Black people to bridge the divide between education and employment. The ‘I Am Change’ programme equips these young people with the skills and mindset to find sustainable work.

3. The Kids Network which supports children moving from primary to secondary school in low-income areas. The charity provides children with a local mentor for a year at this crucial moment in their young lives.

4. Doorstep Library is a community-focused charity dedicated to bringing the gift of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of children across London who need our support.

5. Team Up uses tuition, delivered by inspirational role models, to enable pupils from low-income backgrounds to meaningfully increase their academic attainment, in order to improve the choices open to them.

6. The Violence Intervention Project provides emotional and practical support to young people involved in gangs and serious youth violence.

7. Let Me Know is an education charity working with young people to prevent relationship abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.

To find out more information about The Firefly Project, please visit the Quintessentially Foundation website here.

I hope you will be inspired to support me this year as I raise money for this brilliant cause. Thank you.