With many charitable organisations receiving little to no funding from the government, most rely on donations from larger businesses and community members to continue to provide support and opportunities for societies most vulnerable. At The Dream Factory, this is no different. Founded in 2008, Avril Mills, BEM, wanted to build a charity in memory of her son, Oliver, who unfortunately passed away at the age of nine due to Leukaemia. Since 2008, the charity has been able to grant over 495 dreams to children and young adults with life threatening, life-limiting and or severe disabilities with no wish too small for the charity to help with.
With all dream makers carrying out their work on a volunteer basis, The Dream Factory use any donations to be put towards making these dream a reality. The Essex based charity recently had all of their fundraisers postponed due to the COVID crisis, leaving them struggling to continue their hard work without the funding that they so need and setting them back on a number of wishes.
Following a chance encounter, and a number of discussions, it became clear that Global Go! could help support the charity operationally, donating a vehicle to help Avril Mills continue co-ordinating The Dream Factories hard work.
Avril Mills, BEM of a The Dream Factory, said of the donation: ‘having Global Go! donate the car for a year is a massive help and is saving the charity thousands. I started The Dream Factory in memory of my son, Oliver, who sadly died aged 9 from Leukaemia, and during COVID, we’ve lost thousands of pounds in revenue from events. With no help with charity funding, as we are not considered an essential charity, every pound counts, and we are aiming to grant our 500th wish by the end of the year.’
During the COVID crisis, Avril has returned to working on a part-time furlough basis, with two other members of the team placed on full-time furlough, forcing the charity to work on skeleton staff. Although the charity are proud to say that they have been able to grant some wishes during the past few months, currently, there are 40 dreams postponed, including a variety of holidays and meet and greets.
Global Go! CEO, Gareth Jones, said: ‘When we heard about how The Dream Factory were struggling during this time, we wanted to help, and what better way to do it than with what we do best; providing top-quality vehicles. It’s important we help out local charities, especially ones that give so many families hope and support during difficult times.’
The decision to support the charity follows a year of donations from the company, most notably their commitment to donating 5% of all retail revenue to the NHS for the foreseeable future.
The Dream Factory relies on the support of businesses and individuals to continue their work, and through regular monetary donations, alongside the donation of goods and services, you can help make dreams a reality.