Care & Share Is our 25/26 Charity of the Year

The Blackpool-based charity helps those less fortunate provide for their families.

As early as September 2025, Glasdon employees from across the business were sending in their nominations for this year’s Employee Charity of the Year.

While many worthy charities were put forward and many strong cases made, after careful consideration, a final decision was reached. Glasdon are delighted to announce that Care & Share has been selected as our 25/26 Charity of the Year.

Care & Share is based in Mereside, only a short distance from our Preston New Road site, and supports the local community by offering regular free clothes shops and baby banks. For only £1 entry, nearby residents can access the shop and fill two bags full of clothes/shoes for the entire family, as well as being entered in a raffle. The team at Care & Share also distribute donated foodstuffs and even Easter & Christmas presents to locals in need.

Linda and Paula from Care & Share, alongside their incredible team, provide a vital lifeline for so many and play a pivotal role in our local community. In addition to the regular shops, they also provide starter packs for individuals and families who are setting up home, helping people find their feet during turbulent times.

To support this worthy cause, The D J Sidebottom/Glasdon Charitable Programme, on behalf of Glasdon employees, donated a sum of £10,000, which will help Care & Share replace worn items, add extra security to their building, and continue to offer support and care to the local community. This funding will go a long way in securing the future of this invaluable community resource.

Thank you to Linda from Glasdon for nominating Care & Share.

Additionally, as per previous years, rather than sending company Christmas cards out to staff, customers, and suppliers, we instead made a donation of £500 to two charities – iHope and Blackpool Parks and Green Spaces/Trees for Streets.

iHope aims to support the community of Lytham St. Annes with ‘the gift of hope’, providing gifts and support packs to families and children who would otherwise be without. They collect items and redistribute them into the community, with regular ‘pop-up shops’ across the Fylde to help provide essential items such as school uniforms, homeware, or bedding. They also lead a regular Beach Clean/Litter Pick group on Saturday mornings to keep the sands of St Annes looking pristine.

As for the latter, Blackpool Council have partnered with Trees for Streets to allow residents and businesses to sponsor the planting of a tree in one of the local area’s parks. Glasdon chose Stanley Park as our location and sponsored the planting of a new semi-mature lime tree. The tree will be planted between Autumn 2026 and Spring 2027, adding one more natural landmark to Blackpool’s iconic park.

Thank you to Katia Nelligan and Anna Szymczak for nominating these charities.

For more information about Care & Share, visit their Facebook page.

For more information about the runners up, visit the website for iHope or Trees for Streets.