Central takes part in 2022 Big Give Christmas Challenge
Central is excited to announce that it has once again been selected to take part in this year’s Big Give Christmas Challenge. Between 29 November and 6 December, the School will be raising funds for Scholarships and Bursaries to support the next generation of Central students.
The Big Give is the UK’s leading online matched-funding platform, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Alec Reed CBE. Since its launch in 2008, the Christmas Challenge has raised millions of pounds for thousands of charity projects.
During the seven days of the challenge, and as a result of generous support from The Childhood Trust and our pledgers Gareth Neame, Alison Love, and The Lewis Sewell Trust, all donations made to Central’s Scholarship and Bursary fund via the Big Give will be doubled, enabling the School to help twice as many students.
This year, Central is setting itself the ambitious target of raising £40,000 in matched funding, meaning that every pound donated during the week of the challenge will be doubled, and up to £80,000 could ultimately support Scholarships and Bursaries.
Alex Day, Managing Director of Big Give, said:
“We are proud to have The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama participate in the Big Give Christmas Challenge, the UK’s biggest match funding campaign. The work that they do for young people is incredibly important. We are delighted that donations made to them, and over 1000 other charities, via theBigGive.org.uk during the week of 29th November to 6th December will be matched.
Donations are being matched by the Big Give’s generous match funding ‘Champions’. The vital efforts of Central have been recognised by their Champion, The Childhood Trust. We wish them the best of luck for the campaign and hope the fundraising target is achieved.”
Long-time Central supporter and Big Give pledger Gareth Neame said:
“As a supporter of Scholarships at Central for some time, I have seen first-hand the incredible difference that a scholarship can make to a student, clearly in terms of financial support but also as an endorsement of their talent or craft. Having been involved with Central’s Big Give Christmas since the very beginning, it is immensely satisfying to observe the number of supporters of this initiative grow year on year. Our contributions, scaled-up by the Big Give, can make a significant difference to artists as they embark on their professional journey and, through them, we can also make a wider impact on the creative industries we care so much about.”
Central’s Principal and CEO Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE said:
“After several turbulent years of global news, we need the creative industries to lift our spirits and help us to understand the world around us. Central is a significant pipeline of talent and it is vital that the School attracts a diverse group of students in order to help the creative industries continue to tell stories that reflect us all. This year’s Central’s Big Give Christmas Challenge will do just that, with a generous increase in matched-funding, to create even more Scholarships and Bursaries to help even more of our incredible students.”
As a training institution, Central has a responsibility to act as a pipeline to the creative industries. Scholarships and Bursaries are a key way of ensuring that the School trains students who are representative of the range of lived experiences in society.
Speaking about the positive impact of Scholarships and Bursaries, Central student and alumni recipients said:
“Please know that your decision to award me this bursary has probably changed my life in ways I am not yet aware of. For that I will be forever grateful, and I look forward to the day when I am a well-placed artist so that I can give back and also change the life of a young ambitious artist.” - Gareth Neame Scholar
“My bursary has alleviated some of the financial pressure, and I don’t have to work in my retail job so much to support my studies. On a personal level this has a huge benefit: I can go home to my family in Ireland for Christmas!!!” - Big Give bursary recipient
“This gift is a vote of confidence. It makes me feel like someone believes in me and has invested in my skills, ambitions and future and wants to make it easier to make these hopes a reality. I feel less doubtful, and more capable and grateful. It makes me feel like I am exactly where I need to be.” - Leverhulme Scholar
Find out more about Central’s Big Give Christmas Challenge and the positive impact that Scholarships and Bursaries have on our students by visiting the beneficiary stories on our student blogs, or explore our range of available Scholarships and Bursaries. You can also share your story of support on social media by tagging #CSSDGive.
To make a donation between 12pm on 29 November, 2022 and 12pm on 6 December, 2022 please visit Central’s page on The Big Give.