Why Miles & Barr have chosen Porchlight to be their charity of the year

Since the start of their partnership with us in 2021, they’ve raised over £22,000. They’ve held two sponsored sleepouts and are organising a third one this year. Staff have run the London Marathon and London Landmarks Half Marathon, sponsored our Golf Day, helped with gardening, and much more.

Lauren Williams, communications manager at Miles & Barr, explains why they chose Porchlight as their charity of the year: “Miles & Barr have deep connections within Kent, and we’ve assisted Porchlight with acquiring properties in the past. It seemed like a natural fit.”

She says the partnership is important because it allows them to support our work in several ways – not just through fundraising but also by sharing their skills. Miles & Barr staff have attended our Porchlight Open Door community meetups to speak to the people we support about tenancy sustainment and other aspects of their work. “It’s great to fundraise, but also to have the opportunity to collaborate – to support Porchlight with our time and expertise.”

According to Lauren, it’s meaningful to Miles & Barr staff to work with a charity like Porchlight because it allows them to support their local community. “We have 240 employees, all Kent residents,” she says. “It helps us give back.”

“Seeing all the different local support services Porchlight offers really opens your eyes,” she says. “It goes beyond just providing a safe place for someone to sleep, it’s also that network of support that goes with it.”

Lauren says taking part in the sponsored sleepouts has given her an insight into what life is like for people sleeping on the streets of Kent. “It’s October – it’s getting cold. It gives you a glimpse of what some people go through every night. We’re lucky that we can have a warm night’s sleep the following night. It’s quite humbling."

Miles & Barr have also designed their own fundraising initiative, ‘Porch to Porch’, where staff are sponsored to walk, run, or cycle between their branches. It allows participants to get involved in fundraising in their own time in a way that suits them.

“It’s been a great experience working with Porchlight,” Lauren says.

“The charity has been doing amazing things for the last 50 years and needs our support more than ever.”