Last January, we announced Gympanzees as our charity of the year, an incredible charity dedicated to supporting disabled children and young people with play and exercise. Fast forward to 2025, and we’ve been named a Business Champion in recognition of our support and fundraising efforts.
In total, we’ve raised and invested well over £13,000 through comms support and fundraising efforts, contributing to the vital work they do for children and families in need. We’re proud to have played a part in raising awareness of their cause, and we’re excited to carry on supporting them as our charity of the year for 2025.
Right now, the charity is on a mission to build the UK’s first fully inclusive exercise and play facility. The aim is to create a permanent, accessible location for children and young people with disabilities and their families who are so often under-served by play parks and soft play facilities. With over half of their fundraising target of eight million already achieved, they’re well on their way to making this vision a reality.
A summer of sport for everyone
Since the summer, we've had the privilege of working with Gympanzees, providing ongoing PR consultancy, with the aim of bringing to life their fundraising appeal to a wider audience. Our mission has been to raise awareness of the important work the charity does through the stories of the families who use its facilities, with the ultimate goal of encouraging more donations.
During our project in the summer, we uncovered a concerning trend through our data-driven research, revealing a significant decline in funding for disability sport and exercise, which has left many children and young people at a real disadvantage. These findings were planned to align with the timing of the Paralympics and the broader ‘summer of sport,’ making it a particularly poignant and fitting moment to campaign for a summer of sport for everyone.
Our media efforts resulted in a number of profile interviews with Steph Wheen, the CEO and founder at Gympanzees in a range of top-tier outlets including Sky News, ITV West and BBC Radio Bristol. These interviews brought attention to the incredible work Gympanzees is doing, how its project will be the UK’s first inclusive exercise and play facility and how individuals and businesses can support the cause. Alongside this, we highlighted milestone moments, such as the £1 million donation from the John James Foundation and achieved a range of national coverage with human interest case studies including the Mirror, Yahoo and Wales Online.
Our fundraising efforts
Throughout the year, the team pushed their limits by taking on adrenaline-fueled challenges to fundraise. Most notably, the team trained for the Bristol Half and 10K, lacing up their running shoes and working to shave minutes off their Strava times. At Christmas, we swapped the mince pies and Baileys for a 5-mile Santa run. It was tough in the full Santa kit, working up a sweat and slowing us down but we celebrated with a well-earned roast afterwards.
We also made sure Runway East Temple Meads was well-fed, as we hosted festive bake sales. The team’s contributions had a mixed response; Jack’s cold, soggy roast potatoes and some rather sad-looking gingerbread men didn’t fly off the table. However, Ben’s white chocolate fudge and Faye’s ‘melted’ snowman cookies were a huge hit. In the end, the plates were cleared, money was raised and the cakes went down a treat.
Helping turn Gympanzees’ new building into a home
We’re excited to continue working with Gympanzees as a Business Champion in 2025, utilising our data comms expertise, and fundraising skills to help drive their mission forward. It’s been incredibly rewarding to play a part in such an important journey and we’re excited to see their groundbreaking plans become a reality.
As Gympanzees work towards building the UK’s first fully inclusive exercise and play facility, there are many ways to get involved. Whether through donations, fundraising, or simply spreading the word, every effort makes a difference. You can join us in supporting this amazing cause by visiting their fundraising page.
