My driving ambition when I left the security of full-time employment to launch Teachers Together was to create a company, I can be proud of. Recruitment agencies have a shared responsibility with schools and educators to help the next generation and I wanted to use the experience I have gained from my 15 years in the sector to do things in a more transparent and supportive way.
It was equally important to me that Teachers Together serves as a platform to support our wider community - not just our members and partners - and since Christmas is all about traditions, I was keen to start an annual tradition of our own and researched local charities we could get behind. Given the line of work we are in, I wanted to find one which focuses on children and young adults.
I am pleased to confirm that Teachers Together has teamed up with Happy Days Children Charity, an organisation based in Hitchin providing much-needed support to children with life-limiting illnesses, mental and physical disabilities, those who had suffered abuse and neglect, bereaved children, and young carers.
Christmas can be a wonderful time of year, but for many children and families coping with difficulties in their lives, it can increase feelings of loneliness and despair which can become overwhelming. And this year, circumstances with the coronavirus pandemic have made things even more difficult for struggling parents.
Teachers Together is supporting “Operation Secret Santa”, the charity’s annual campaign to bring some festive fun to thousands of brave and deserving kids. If you would like to donate to this fantastic cause, you can do so here: https://www.justgiving.com/happydayscharity
My daughter is 5 years old and I have tried to instil the importance of helping others through my own conduct, since children learn from our actions not our words. If she sees me opening a door for someone, she is more likely to copy that behaviour. We have litter picking sessions as, again, if she spends time in our community picking up the litter of others, she is less likely to drop it in the first place. These are small actions but every little helps and through Operation Secret Santa, Teachers Together can play a small role in bringing some festive joy to families across the country.
After speaking with Rob, the Head of Fundraising, I felt confident I had made the right choice and I am looking forward to working more closely with him and the Happy Days team in the coming months. As a business we are proud to support the great work the Happy Days Children Charity do and as a family we are looking forward to getting involved with their events in 2021.
As we are so often reminded, these are unprecedented times, and I would personally like to thank all schools and teachers for providing such incredible support to each other and their students in what has been such a difficult year.
If you have made it this far through my first ever blog, all that remains is for me to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and better times for 2021!
All the best,
Olly
