The next BRIT Challenge will start on
25th January 2025 & finish on 25th March 2025
Funding and gifted professional services from Philanthropists, Corporations and Businesses has an extraordinary impact on enabling BRIT to continue supporting young adult mental health in the UK at a time when young adults need us more than ever.
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Our collectively powerful approach, with support from our Education, Sport and Charity Partners to promote and champion our events, ensures that universities and colleges in the UK have the ability and flexibility to embrace our annual BRIT Challenges in order to further improve their students' mental health and fitness.
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Our annual events provide fundraising opportunities for students to further enable our partner mental health charities to provide vital mental health services to all young adults in the UK who need their support.
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Donating to or sponsoring the British Inspiration Trust will help enable us to support and improve young adult, student and staff mental health, fitness and wellbeing throughout the UK by delivering our annual inclusive BRIT Challenge.
Furthermore, we have implemented BRIT Regional Steering Groups in eight regions of England, and in Scotland and Wales. Student and staff representatives from every university and college are being invited to join the Steering Group, for a one-year tenure, to explore how to involve more universities and colleges in the BRIT Challenge, engage students and staff of all abilities, destigmatise mental health and champion equality, diversity and inclusion. We also aim to triple the size of our 200 strong BRIT Ambassador family.
We currently do not employ any staff, our Founder is the Non-Paid Chief Executive, and we make every effort to reduce operational overheads by finding innovative ways to secure professionally gifted support and services. BRIT does need professional administrative assistance and, with funding, we intend to secure support from retired Paralympians, Olympians, and experienced Education Sector Administrators, in order to increase our team and the impact we have on the lives of young adults and students.​
Donations and sponsors fund our operational costs and enable our BRIT Challenges to engage students in every university and college in the UK. Through the relationships we continue to build with universities, colleges and student unions, together we will encourage the millions of students and staff in the UK to take part in our annual BRIT Challenge.
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We hope that donors, philanthropists, businesses and corporations see the potential UK-wide impact we can continue to have on raising funds for our partner mental health charities and improving young adult mental health and fitness; both of which are vitally important in the short, medium and long-term.
Together, we have the ability to be collectively powerful.
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WHY YOUR SUPPORT IS CRUCIAL
MESSAGE TO DONORS AND SPONSORS
“Having worked in fundraising and the charity sector for over 30 years, I have had the privilege of meeting many extraordinary people and Phil, who founded The British Inspiration Trust (BRIT), is one of the most inspirational leaders I have met. Notwithstanding his unique experience that spans the disability, charity, mental health, education, sport and military/veteran sectors, Phil consistently delivers inspiring and life changing opportunities for young people. His determination to ensure that they have the help and support that they need to overcome their physical and mental challenges is at the heart of BRIT. He has underpinned this vision by securing powerful strategic collaborations and partnerships to increase the impact of what the charity can achieve.
The BRIT ethos is to minimise overheads and reduce operational costs. Phil has achieved this through his dedicated leadership (always unpaid). He has inspired corporations and businesses to gift their professional services that equate to hundreds of thousands of pounds. He has also inspired a wealth of volunteers to help deliver BRIT events.
BRIT’s future success now needs the security of annual long-term income to provide a sustainable base that will allow for some capacity building and cover its lean operational costs. The charity relies on voluntary income to deliver the mission. Support through gifted professional services, sponsorship and donations will further enable the delivery of mental health and fitness challenges to both raise vital funds for BRIT’s partner charities and support young adult mental health throughout the UK”.
Liz Haigh-Reeve MInstF
Founder and CEO of Fundraising Works
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Students in Higher Education in the UK.
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*Universities UK 2018/19.
2.38
million*
Students in Further Education in England.
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*Association of Colleges
2019.
2.2
million*
Students in Further
Education in Scotland.
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*Colleges Scotland
Key Facts 2020.
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264,858*
144,955*
Students in Further
Education in Wales.
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*Government Wales
2017/8.
82,815*
Students in Further Education in NI.
*Department for the Economy (DfE)
2015/6.
There are many ways that Philanthropists, Corporations and Businesses can help us to have an extraordinary impact on improving young adult and student mental health and fitness. With funding, sponsorship and gifted professional services, we will support the lives of young adults and students throughout the UK by;
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Uniting the HE and FE Sector through a UK-wide inclusive BRIT Challenge
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Delivering inspiration through our BRIT Ambassadors
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Offering the BRIT Challenge as a UK-wide feel-good fundraiser and inviting teams to choose a second charity to raise funds for, alongside BRIT, to support local, regional and national charities
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By securing funding and resources, we hope to engage with every UK university, college and specialist college and improve the physical and mental health of every student taking part in our annual BRIT Challenge.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT
WAYS TO SUPPORT
1
Donations
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Donations are vital. Since its inception, BRIT has operated as a lean charity and strived to ensure overheads are kept to a minimum. We currently do not employ any staff and rely on volunteers and external professional support. To maximise our impact, we do need to fund professional support to ensure our BRIT Challenges are successful. This includes areas of governance and coordination; integral to our charity's survival.
2
Sponsorship
Corporate Sponsorship would enable us to secure an annual longterm income for our capacity building. We aim to reach young adults throughout the UK; an estimated 5million students. This requires funding the coordination of our communication strategy, branding, and outreach across Social Media including the management of the British Sporting Icons joining us as BRIT Ambassadors.
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Gifted Services
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BRIT has secured gifted professional services and support from businesses across the UK amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds. This has included secondments and gifted Offices, Banking, Governance, Accountancy, IT, Vehicle, Travel, Accommodation, Insurance, Websites, Branding, Comms, Clothing and Marketing Space in National, Regional and Social Media. All these opportunities are available for businesses to support for each of our annual Challenges.
We adhere to the Fundraising Regulator Standards. The Fundraising Regulator is an independent, non statutory body that regulates fundraising across the charitable sector in England, Wales, & Northern Ireland. They work in partnership with other regulators and represent bodies in the charitable and fundraising sectors to build public confidence and ensure consistent fundraising standards across the UK.
DONATE ONLINE
THANK YOU
Our collectively powerful approach to supporting young adult mental health in the UK is underpinned by special relationships and partnerships with individuals and organisations who gift their advice, guidance and time to shape our strategy and enable us to deliver our annual BRIT Challenges.
We are sincerely grateful for this invaluable gifted support from across the Charity, Education, Sport and Business communities. The British Inspiration Trust saves hundreds of thousands of pounds every year in staff costs and funding external professional services due to the kindness and generosity of our friends and advisors.
Listed below, and grouped in specific areas of our strategy, are just a few of the many supporters who have made our work possible;
BRIT STRATEGY
SPORT SECTOR STRATEGY
EDUCATION SECTOR STRATEGY
CHARITY SECTOR STRATEGY
Adam Reynolds
Alison Woodward
Alex Burton
Claire Buckle
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Helene Raynsford
Naomi Riches MBE
Liz Haigh-Reeve
Kate Bosomworth
Chloe Swycher
Hamish Elvidge
James Murray
John de Pury
Kevin Mattheson
Mike Peckham
Louise de Silva
Rory Quirke
Elizabeth Barrett
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Professor Sir Simon Wessely
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Professor Peter Fonagy OBE
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Paul Jenkins OBE
Chair, Board of Trustees, British Inspiration Trust
Trustee, British Inspiration Trust
Trustee, British Inspiration Trust
Trustee, British Inspiration Trust
Paralympian
Paralympian
Fundraising
Former BRIT Trustee - Comms
Former BRIT Trustee - Comms
Chair, Matthew Elvidge Trust
Suicide Prevention
Universities UK
CEO, Over The Wall
Former BRIT Trustee - Strategy
Project Branding, Design and Coordination
Website Design and Support
Branding Support
President of the Royal Society of Medicine (2017 - 2020)
President of the Royal Society of Psychiatrists
Chair of the government's Independent Review of the Mental Health Act
Head of the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London
Chief Executive, Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
National Clinical Advisor on Children's Mental Health, NHS England
Chair of the Mental Health Network Board at the NHS Confederation​​
Rt Hon Sir Hugh Robertson KCMG DL
Professor Nick Webborn OBE
Scott Field
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Sarah Treseder OBE
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Ben Hawes​
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Helene Raysford
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Joanne Moss
Stewart Harris
Kim Atkinson
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Sarah Powell
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Victoria Ward
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Mark Elliott
Chair, British Olympic Association
Chair, British Paralympic Association
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Director of Communications, British Olympic Association
Chief Executive, Royal Yachting Association
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Chair, British Olympic Association Athletes’ Commission
Chair, British Paralympic Association Athletes’ Commission
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Sport England
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Chief Executive, Sport Scotland
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Chief Executive, Scottish Sports Association
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Chief Executive, Sport Wales
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Chief Executive, Welsh Sports Association
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Help for Heroes
Rosie Tressler OBE
Jed Flynn
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​Clare Stafford
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Emily Bright
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Lady Waller
Elina Nesimioglu
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Hazel Russell
Kate Mitchell
Fay Dixon
Tor Hornby
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Rachel Ellis
Chief Executive - Student Minds
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Chief Executive, PAPYRUS – Prevention of Young Suicide
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Chief Executive - Charlie Waller Trust
Chair - Nightline
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Charlie Waller Trust
Charlie Waller Trust
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Head of Fundraising, PAPYRUS – Prevention of Young Suicide
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Student Minds
Student Minds
Mental Health Innovations
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Samaritans
UNIVERSITY & COLLEGE STRATEGY
Professor Paul Layzell DL
Professor Graham Baldwin
Professor Ian G Campbell
Professor Jane Harrington
Professor Jane Longmore
Professor Dame Janet Beer DBE
Professor Julie Mennell
Professor Nick Braisby
Professor Nishan Canagarajah
Professor Paul Croney
Professor Sally Mapstone
Professor Shirley Congdon
Professor David Richardson
Professor Kathryn Mitchell
Shelagh Legrave OBE DL
Dr Michael Hipkins
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Dr Robin Kirby
Professor Paul Morgan
Tamsin Grainger
Fiona Grant
Steven Baddeley
Dr Adrain Ibbetson
Ivan Whitfield
Rachel Adams
Rob Hickey
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Principal, Royal Holloway, University of London
Vice Chancellor University of Central Lancashire
Vice Chancellor Liverpool John Moores University
Vice Chancellor University of Greenwich
Vice Chancellor Chichester University
Vice Chancellor University of Liverpool
Vice Chancellor University of Cumbria
Vice Chancellor Buckinghamshire New University
Vice Chancellor University of Leicester
Vice Chancellor Teesside University
Vice Chancellor University of St Andrews
Vice Chancellor University of Bradford
Vice Chancellor University of East Anglia
Vice Chancellor University of Derby
Chief Executive, Chichester College Group
Chair of Council and Pro-Chancellor
Buckinghamshire New University
Strategic Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor, Falmouth University
Head of School Buckinghamshire New University
President BUCKS Students' Union
Head of Academic Affairs, West Highland College, University of The Highlands and Islands
Director of Sport, University of Bath
Director of Sport, University of Central Lancashire
Director of Sport, University of Sunderland
Director of Human Resources, Keele University
Chief Operating Officer, York St John University
Michael Queen
Chris Sayer
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Professor Julia Buckingham CBE
Alistair Jarvis
Professor Steve West OBE DL
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David Hughes
Stuart Rimmer
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Simmone Ahiaku
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Vince Mayne
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Shona Struthers
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Iestyn Davies
Stew Fowlie
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John Bloomfield
Chair, Committee of University Chairs
Former Chair, Committee of University Chairs
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Former President, Universities UK
Former Chief Executive, Universities UK
President, Universities UK, Vice-Chancellor & President UWE Bristol and Former Chair of Universities UK Mental Health in Higher Education Working Group
Chief Executive, Association of Colleges
Principal of East Coast College and Chair of the Association of Colleges Mental Health Policy Group
Head of Policy and Campaigns, National Union of Students
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British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS)
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Chief Executive, Colleges Scotland
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Chief Executive, ColegauCymru
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COO, Scottish Student Sport
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Executive Director, AMOSSHE - The Student Services Organisation