Reaching out with Octopus Investments

Please note: this post is 111 months old and The Cares Family is no longer operational. This post is shared for information only

As a community network working at the intersection of the public, private and charity sectors, North London Cares and our sister charity South London Cares are really proud of all of our amazing partnerships. They help us to do what we do: they bring new volunteers, organisational and developmental support and wider networks and ideas to the table. Along with all of our volunteers and older neighbours, our partners bring our delivery work to life.

We're so grateful for all their support, and we're keen to celebrate those wonderful partnerships – with local community centres, local authorities, other charities, and businesses large and small. And we're keen to celebrate some of the little stories that their support create.

Take the wonderful Octopus Investments, for example, one of our most amazing corporate partners. They support us with so much. Their office is our second home – the venue for board meetings, joint NLC/SLC meetings, and occasional job interviews.

Their wonderful HR team are helping us to improve our own internal systems and training. They sent not one but two teams to South London Cares' birthday party quiz. Staff have completed mammoth triathlons, poker nights and fun runs to help us raise money. And of course, colleagues have hung out with neighbours above and below the river – through Men's Sheds activities, film nights, and business visits to Octopus Towers.

But as well as that constant support for the Cares family, a few stories are particularly poignant.

At times of specific need in our communities, Octopus staff have been quick off the mark. When a neighbour's house was flooded recently, they sent a new kettle, toaster and kitchen equipment to help her get set up again. When another neighbour suffered a small fire, Octopus helped with all sorts of goodies. And when Octopus didn't need some furniture anymore they kindly donated it to a neighbour we've worked with for a long time and to another of our vital partners, The Peel Centre in King's Cross.

Over the coming months we'll write more about our amazing partners but for now we wanted to say, from everyone at the Cares family, a big, big 'thank you' to Emily, Claire, Sam, Simon, Alex, David, Hugh, Cherie, Nick, Kirstie, John – and everyone at Octopus for being such an important part of the Cares family. We're so grateful for everything you do, for us as a charity and for so many of the neighbours we work with.