Weatherbys hosted a “live” funding event in the historic surroundings of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, in a first partnership with The Funding Network (TFN) – a growing collective that connects small, high-impact charities and community organisations with new networks of philanthropic support.
The premise behind TFN is simple. It aims to make philanthropy more accessible, engaging and effective. Its live funding events bring donors together to hear directly from small organisations about the issues they tackle and the difference they make. Rather than just writing a cheque, donors become part of a shared experience of giving, learning and connecting.
At last month’s TFN 2026 Autumn Connector event, the three charities were given six minutes to make their pitch, followed by six minutes of questions from the floor. Once all the pitches were delivered, people were free to network before returning to pledge to their chosen charity.
Speaking ahead of the pitches, Roger Weatherby, chairman of Weatherbys Banking Group, said: “Fred Mulder, a long-term client of Weatherbys, and three of his friends had a simple and powerful vision when they founded The Funding Network – giving remarkable charities the opportunity to tell their inspiring stories directly to donors, which is rare in a world of email. The evening is not just about raising money, it’s also about starting conversations and making connections.”
Charity pitch 1: Lawyers Who Care
Goal: Funding for a new legal opportunities access grant, awarded to care-experienced students to help cover travel, accommodation and childcare costs.
First on stage was 24-year-old Gemma Creamer, who, while studying for her bar exams, is chief executive of Lawyers Who Care – the UK’s first specialist mentoring organisation, created to support care-experienced aspiring solicitors and barristers.
“Care experience is missing from the legal profession – it isn’t that it’s a lack of ambition or talent, it’s a lack of access.”
When Gemma was nine, her perfect family life changed in an instant. Her godmother arrived at her school early to take her home, where her dad told her that her mum had died in her sleep that morning. Her world, as she knew it, was over. Grief went unspoken, and the family was torn apart. Within three years, Gemma was in the care system, moving between foster homes before she found a ‘forever family’ who encouraged her to “dream big”. With their support, she went on to study law at university.
“The journey was never easy. You face barriers every step of the way,” Gemma told the audience. “But you make it through, and then you stop asking why this is so difficult for people like me. Instead, you start asking, what if I could make it easier for those who come after me?”
Care for Lawyers mentors care-experienced aspiring lawyers, providing them with the support, skills, and opportunities Gemma fought for. Since May 2024, it has provided more than 1,000 pro bono mentoring hours, created 130 mentorships and trained 111 legal professionals. With 82 per cent retention, mentees progress to exams, jobs and pupillage in what is a very competitive field.
Amount raised: £11,404
Charity pitch 2: Youth Environmental Service (YES)
Goal: Funding to expand its reach in the UK and develop new programmes
Billy Knowles, co-director at YES, arrives on stage with a question for the audience: “I bet you remember your first job, whether it was a paper round, a pub job or waiting tables. And I bet you remember how it helped you grow as a person.”
Yet he adds that while these jobs were a rite of passage for older generations, they’re no longer available to today’s young people. The number of young people not in education, employment, or training (NEETs) is skyrocketing, amid low business confidence, economic pressures and AI threatening entry-level jobs.
“We’re failing the next generation. Young people didn’t used to be the least happy age group. They are now.”
“Frankly, we’re failing the next generation. Young people didn’t used to be the least happy age group. They are now,” he says. “Meanwhile, the environmental sector remains too white, middle-class and old – and it’s Britain’s second-least-diverse sector. Yet it’s the most disadvantaged communities that are most likely to suffer from an environmental catastrophe.”
Bristol-based YES grew out of an original idea – what if the UK had national service for the environment? “We believe every young person should have the opportunity to undertake paid environmental work at the start of their careers,” adds Billy.
The charity operates on two fronts, tackling social inequality while addressing the environmental crisis. Job opportunities for young people range from tree planting and home insulation to working as a runner on David Attenborough documentaries.
Over the past five years, YES has helped nearly 120 young people secure their first jobs. By working closely with its partner employers, four in five were still employed six months later. YES is currently focused primarily on the West of England, but is aiming to expand across the UK.
Amount raised: £11,218
Charity pitch 3: Chamos – in aid of the children of Venezuela
Goal: to fund a computer classroom in earthquake-stricken Venezuela
Although Chamos is based in the UK, it isn’t a distant charity for Mariana Siblesz, the charity’s chair. “It is personal, and it has been for 19 years,” she says, before recalling the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela this summer.
It was June 24, a national holiday. Families had gathered around the TVs to watch the World Cup match, Brazil versus Scotland. Then the ground didn’t stop moving for almost two minutes as two earthquakes struck, collapsing homes and schools. In La Guaira, the worst-hit state, 80 per cent of buildings collapsed and more than half of schools were damaged. Almost three months later, there is still no official count of missing persons. Independent workers and international agencies estimate the number of people still unaccounted for to be between 10,000 and 50,000. Nobody knows how many of the missing are children.
“Earthquakes destroy schools – countless schoolchildren have lost access to safe learning environments”
Founded in 2007, the charity focuses on three pillars: education, health and nutrition, and has reached more than 30,000 children since its inception. On education, Mariana highlights that countless schoolchildren have lost access to safe learning environments.
In this light, Chamos has developed a digital literacy initiative targeting the crucial final years of primary school, when dropout rates peak. By equipping schools with computer rooms and providing comprehensive teacher training, the programme helps students develop essential digital skills that open doors to future opportunities, whether at university or at work. A £10,000 donation equips an earthquake-affected school with a fully functional computer room and two to three trained teachers. This directly benefits around 100 children each year.
“The real reason I am asking you [the audience] to fund this opportunity is that a child who learns these skills today doesn’t just recover from an earthquake – they walk into a future they didn’t know was possible,” says Mariana.
Amount raised: £11,300
Making a difference together
Weatherbys would like to thank everyone, clients, friends and colleagues who attended and supported this special charity funding event. Your generosity will make a real difference to the three charities that pitched on the night.
Roger Weatherby added: “I am proud that our own Weatherbys Creating the Future Foundation was able to play its part. With several colleagues in the audience, vouchers in hand so they could donate to a charity of their choice, the Foundation contributed a total of £4,600 on the evening. Once again, I’d like to thank everyone for their time, generosity and willingness to get involved.”
To learn more about The Funding Network, Lawyers Who Care, Youth Environmental Service and Chamos, please visit their websites for further information and ways to get involved.
