Royal Mail Group’s main social action focus is to seek ways to work with young people who are vulnerable, at risk, excluded or experiencing illness and crisis and through our efforts help them to help themselves. Through our actions we are aiming to help change the life chances of young people.

Because of this focus and in response to an employee vote in 2007 Royal Mail Group supported BBC Children in Need for the first time.  Through bucket collections at Royal Mail Buildings, on counters at Post Offices, collections by Parcelforce drivers and at Parcelforce sites and numerous fundraising events, an amazing £305,000 was raised.

In 2008 we supported BBC Children in Need again raising £600,000.  Which was almost double the year before!

In 2009 we again supported BBC Children in Need.  Employees fundraised at our sites across the UK and collection buckets were sent to sites in October to be used in the six weeks up to the BBC Children in Need appeal night on the 20th November 2009.

Up to the 31st December 2009 our customers and our employees have raised over £400,000 for the BBC Children in Need appeal. In the last 3 years we have now raised over £1.3 million to help support disadvantaged children across the UK.

"In 2008, The BBC Children in Need Appeal raised over £36million and for every penny donated to the charity, a penny goes towards projects helping disadvantaged children in the UK. We are so grateful to Royal Mail Group’s colleagues and customers who raised a massive £600,000 last year and can’t wait to see what exciting fundraising ideas you come up with in 2009!

"This year we are asking the UK to ‘Do Something Different’ to raise money to help make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Our vision is a society where each and every child and young person is supported to realise their potential.

"We provide support in the form of grants to organisations working with children who may have experienced mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.

"The size and scale of The BBC Children in Need Appeal means that we’re able to give grants to hundreds of different organisations, some of which are very small and don’t have the resources to fundraise for themselves."