HBAA has chosen EventWell and Buses4Homeless as its charitable social enterprises to support in 2021.
Its support for these charities is part of the association’s strategy, aligned to resilience and ethics, as two of its four pillars.
Helen Moon, CEO and founder of EventWell said: “The partnership with the HBAA aligns with our three core values: empathy, culture and self-care. Our mission is to work collectively with the industry to encourage better understanding and empathy; to work with our business members and friends to inspire positive leadership, and to work with our professional members and friends to change attitudes to self-care.
“The team at EventWell is delighted to be working in partnership with such a recognised and respected association and its members for the greater good of the industry as a whole and for individual support provided by the industry’s only social enterprise, specialising in mental health.”
This will be the third year that HBAA has supported Buses4Homeless, a charitable, ongoing project which refurbished decommissioned buses into spaces for eating, sleeping, wellbeing and learning to reintegrate homeless people back into the community.
Dan Atkins, founder of Buses4Homeless, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that HBAA is supporting Buses4Homeless again in 2021. It’s been an incredibly challenging year for everyone in our industry, as well as for our B4H project.
“We’re happy to say that we’ve gone from strength to strength since we were able to set up our buses in North Acton in London and our inaugural programme of eight guests couldn’t have gone better. The majority of them are now in full time employment and in their own homes, which is a fantastic result in the midst of the pandemic.
“We definitely wouldn’t have been able to change their lives if it wasn’t for the help of the amazing people who are part of HBAA.”
HBAA members raised thousands of pounds for Buses4Homeless in 2019 and 2020 and gave their time to help refit buses and to source valuable equipment for the buses.
Leigh Cowlishaw, consultant executive director, added: “There is no denying that our mental health will be impacted from this pandemic and the relentless challenges it has brought. Personally, and professionally, we are affected. With today being Blue Monday, which is often considered to be the most depressing day of the year, we felt it was the right day to launch, and further demonstrate our commitment to the cause through working with such key partners.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
