Sometimes, giving back means giving more than you thought you had. For Charlotte Griffin-White, it meant turning a personal experience into something positive for her community, and organising the first-ever “No Ifs, Just Butts Festival” in her local town of Droitwich.
Kris White pictured right with his band, Girls Love Ponies
The two-day festival attracted more than 500 people and had live music, street food, a marquee, a tombola and raffle. It was held at the Barley Mow on Hanbury Street on Friday 31 July and Saturday 1 August, and raised £2809.29 for Prostate Cancer UK, a cause particularly close to Charlotte's heart, after her husband, Kris White, was recently diagnosed with the illness.
Organising a full-blown festival is not exactly a small undertaking. What started as a fundraising idea quickly grew into something much bigger.
Charlotte and Kris spent months bringing the festival to life, organising everything by themselves, from the marquee to the full sound and lighting rig, as well as live acts, food, tickets, games & entertainment, not to mention the huge task of getting people to the event! Kris, who is a bass player, also starred at the festival with his band, Girls Love Ponies (pictured above). The festival couldn’t be organised in one day alone, and in fact was months in the making. The AYMES Give Back Day allowed Charlotte time for setup ahead of the inaugural weekend.
She comments: "My Give Back Day allowed me the time to get everything organised on the Friday, with the marquee arriving plus a sound and light crew, all of which made the event a great success. It was a lot of effort, but worth it and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to raise a substantial amount for Prostate Cancer UK, which, in turn, will help more people in need."
AYMES’s Give Back Days allow every team member the opportunity to take company-sponsored time to support their local community, a charity, or a cause they're passionate about.
The No Ifs, Just Butts Festival was the first event of its kind, but it won't be the last. Following its successful debut, the festival is set to become an annual event, giving the local community a chance to come together, enjoy some live music and, most importantly, raise money for a cause that matters.
Roger Wertheim-Aymes, CEO at AYMES, said: “Charlotte's story is exactly what AYMES’s Give Back Days are all about: giving our people time and space to put their energy into something beyond their day job. Something that matters to them and will make a difference. What Charlotte has achieved is quite special, raising nearly £3000 for charity and creating an event that will live on for years to come, and help those suffering from Prostate Cancer. We’re very proud of what our whole team has achieved in using their Give Back Days to support good causes. It’s a great initiative, and one that I’m particularly proud of.”
No ifs. No buts. Just giving back.