Across Network Plus, colleagues continue to find meaningful ways to support the causes that matter most to them. Through the 1+1 fundraising initiative, those efforts go even further, with every pound raised matched by Network Plus, pound for pound, up to £250 per charity each month.
Launched in April 2025 following ideas shared through the Evening with the Exec meals forum and the Women in Network Plus group, the initiative was created to help colleagues extend the reach of their fundraising. Since then, two winners have been selected each month, supporting a wide range of charities and personal causes across the UK. While many colleagues have been awarded matched funding through the initiative, each bringing their own stories and causes forward, their collective efforts continue to show the difference that shared support can make.
From endurance challenges and running events to team fundraising activities, colleagues across the business have taken on impressive challenges in support of charities working across health, wellbeing, accessibility and family support. Behind each effort is a personal story, with colleagues using the initiative to turn individual challenges into meaningful support for others.
Jacqui Marsden from the finance team has supported Guide Dogs for the Blind, helping raise funds that support people with visual impairments to live more independently. Jodie Turner has championed AB UK, a Wigan-based charity supporting autistic children and their families, helping to raise awareness and understanding of autism.
David Jackson, from Littlewoods has taken on multiple fundraising challenges, including the demanding Race the Sun event in the Lake District – biking, hiking and paddling in support of Action Medical Research. Most recently, David pushed his endurance even further by completing the 160-mile Spine Challenger North, running along the Pennine Way from Hardraw in North Yorkshire to Scotland, in support of Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), raising both funds and awareness for the charity’s work.
Pictured: David Jackson completing the Race the Sun event
Pictured: Linda Bradley completing the Peak District Ultra Challenge
Katie Hill also took on the Manchester 10k in support of SANDS, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity, running for a cause close to her heart. Fundraising efforts have also supported Alzheimer’s Society, championed by Linda Bradley from the East Midlands Cadent contract, and Air Ambulance (Kent, Surrey and Sussex), supported by Michael Dale from Littlewoods.
More recently, Brett Schofield has been fundraising to support a close family friend who sadly lost everything in a house fire. Working alongside the local community, Brett helped set up a GoFundMe page to support the family as they begin rebuilding their lives, showing how fundraising can provide immediate and meaningful support when it is needed most.
As the 1+1 initiative continues to grow, it demonstrates how personal motivation, shared support and collective effort can go further together — helping colleagues turn fundraising ambitions into lasting positive impact.
