A CHARITY received a massive donation from a non-for-profit energy consultancy this week.

Vision Support Barrow & District was one of 24 Cumbrian charities to receive funding in an £800,000 drive.

Carl Hodge, Chief Executive of Barrow & Districts Society for the Blind, said: “What a wonderful day! We received £40,000 from Box Power and this will be used towards our new Lift Appeal in Ostley House, our residential home. The lift will add to the dignity we provide for our residents when they are moving around the building.”

The new lift will enable residents to travel in a stretcher up and down the building, should they need to go to hospital. It will also increase the speed of a fire evacuation should that occur.

The charity has catered to those with sight loss and dementia for over 50 years.

Representatives from each of the 24 charities attended a special charity event at Brookfield Hall in Bolton on Tuesday 23rd November, organised by Box Power, to celebrate the charities’ hard work and achievements.

Box Power was founded by Bolton-based couple Corin and Tricia Dalby, after their son Benjamin was diagnosed with autism and the couple sold their large, multi-million-pound energy brokerage company to a PLC in 2012. In the time that followed, the couple were so blown away by the help they received from support networks and the local community that they felt inspired to give back.

They set up Box Power - the UK’s first not-for-profit energy consultancy, designed to give clients peace of mind knowing that they were not only getting the best energy deals, but their money was also doing well.

Having set aside profits from the last few years, and witnessing the devastating impact that Covid has had on charities over the past 18 months, Corin and Tricia felt it appropriate to utilise the accumulated profits and open up applications for funding back in June of this year.

Over 200 charities applied and Tricia and Corin personally reviewed each one, as well as arranging in-person or Zoom meetings to speak with the charities directly before whittling the options down to 24 at the start of this month.

“It was a much more emotional process than I expected”, said Tricia, “There are so many amazing charities out there, and you feel so moved by the passion that each of them have for their cause and the people they help. We wish we could have helped all of them, but we hope that - through giving as much as we can to as many as we can across all different charity types and areas - the money can make a real difference.