With Purpose Podcast

In this raw and real episode, we spoke with Neil Bharadwa Business Owner, Cambridge Fruit Company and Sarah Crick CEO, The Red Hen Project about their collaboration to address food poverty in Cambridge. Despite being a city known for innovation, Cambridge faces significant inequality. Sarah highlights that many families struggle with basic needs, even while being close to some of the world’s wealthiest businesses. Neil, who had lived in Cambridge all his life, was unaware of the extent of local poverty and felt embarrassed by his lack of knowledge until he reached out to The Red Hen Project during the COVID crisis. Together, they’ve made a lasting impact, supporting families facing challenges like financial insecurity, housing issues, mental health struggles, and domestic abuse. Over four years later, their partnership continues to grow, raising awareness and bringing more support to those in need. This collaboration proves that long-term partnerships can create real social value and make a tangible difference in communities, especially for those facing the greatest challenges.

We delve into the impactful synergy between community engagement, urban development, and biodiversity conservation, highlighting the potential of partnerships between local businesses and community initiatives. Joined by Nicky Shepard, CEO of Abbey People, and Daniel Lee, Founder of Teasels Biodiverse Design and Consultancy, we explore their collaborative efforts in cultivating joy in the urban environment through nature, community, and biodiversity. Their 'Seed of Hope Project' embodies co-creation, empowering the local community to address pressing issues together. Nicky emphasises the importance of overcoming skill and knowledge limitations by partnering with local businesses and leveraging their expertise to transform ideas into impactful projects. Daniel's journey showcases the deeper purpose behind his business, finding fulfillment in using skills for the greater good through this project. In communities like Abbey, facing challenges such as the cost of living crisis, support and empowerment initiatives are crucial. True empowerment lies in enabling individuals to find their voices and strengths, fostering resilience and self-sufficiency. This partnership between Nicky and Dan exemplifies collaboration's power, engaging the community and promoting shared ownership to help combat poverty, hunger, and loneliness while enhancing quality of life through biodiversity and social inclusion. This episode underscores the transformative potential of business-nonprofit partnerships, driving positive change and empowerment within local communities.

In our second episode, we explore the art of cultivating purposeful partnerships—ones that transcend transactional offers for a more strategic and thoughtful approach. These alliances, rooted in strategy and the core values and DNA of business operations, bring numerous benefits to the business, its employees, and the broader community. We delve into the transformative journey that Tees has been on as they shape their responsible business strategy, empowering them to directly address community needs, with a focus on social mobility, mental health and well-being, and learning and development. The Cambridge Acorn Project a partner of Tees is operating in one of the UK's most economically challenged areas and Hannah and Janine share their collaboration—establishing a pro bono legal clinic for families in need, aligned with the social objectives of Tees and directly responding to local needs. Clear expectations and strategy set the tone for this brilliant collaboration, enhancing the well-being of families in our communities and guiding people toward a better future.

In this podcast episode, Matt and Sue discuss their collaborative partnership to do good in the city and support the homeless community through the repurposing of surplus tech to enable those sleeping rough and experiencing homelessness to stay connected. Matt shares his work with "It Takes a City," a charitable organisation addressing homelessness in and across Cambridgeshire. He openly shares his personal journey of sofa surfing as a young man, highlighting the lasting impact of homelessness. "It Takes a City" originated from a 2018 summit and has evolved to provide shelter, dignity, and coordination of resources, ensuring everyone has a safe space to call home. Sue, from a tech company, is working with "It Takes a City" through "Laptops 4 Learning," repurposing surplus tech from businesses with high safety standards and reduce landfill and to aid the homeless. Their innovative and collaborative partnership has resulted in providing numerous phones, laptops and tablets, addressing digital exclusion for the homeless community. The podcast emphasises the transformative power of technology, offering connectivity and potential employment opportunities for those facing homelessness and sleeping rough. Both speakers stress the need for wrap-around support and city-wide community involvement in comprehensively addressing homelessness. Their personal motivations stem from their own life experiences, underscoring the importance of collaborative and aligned efforts to make a positive socail impact and helo improve lives.