The Panathlon charity is delighted to have the long-term support of the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation.
St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation (SJP) is the grant-making charitable arm of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group. The Foundation has raised and distributed in excess of £100 million to good causes since its establishment in 1992.
The main theme of the Foundation’s work is to support children and young people (aged up to 25), especially:
- Young people with physical or mental health difficulties or life-threatening or degenerative conditions, and
- Young people who are socially or economically disadvantaged
Panathlon has received core funding from the Foundation since 2008 and has used that amazing support to expand our programmes right across the country. SJP has invested well over £2m during this time and been responsible for making Panathlon a national charity.
In December 2020, SJP won the ‘Best Partnership with a National Children’s Charity’ prize at The Better Society Awards for its work with Panathlon.
The Better Society Network’s Better Society Awards celebrate the efforts that commercial organisations make to create a better society. They reward commercial companies who are helping create a better, more equal, ethical and sustainable world for all.
The huge structural growth of Panathlon – not only geographically but in the depth of programmes we offer (such as Primary Panathlon, X-tend, Secondary Panathlon and the stand-alone competitions such as swimming, 10-pin bowling, football, boccia etc) owes so much to the long-term core support from SJP.
SJP colleagues are regular visitors to Panathlon competitions where they volunteer as Leaders, officiating and guiding the young competitors around the sporting activities. These experiences are hugely rewarding and enriching.
After volunteering at our South East Secondary Swimming Final at the London Aquatics Centre in June 2024, SJP Academy Training Manager, Katie Collinson, said:
“In 10 years’ time these children are going to remember today as a defining moment for them as a young person. The smiles on their faces after completing their races and the confidence and self-belief it gave them was so evident. It means so much to them. It was genuinely beautiful.”
Catherine Ind, Head of the SJP Charitable Foundation, said: “That our own SJP community can take part and get involved in these events is superb. It then becomes very real and is a huge motivating factor for our own community to raise more money and continue to help them. It’s not just about handing over a grant – there is engagement in a wider sense. That’s why we like Panathlon because it’s a multi-level partnership.”
Catherine added: “Historically the Foundation has wanted to help smaller charities make a transformational difference. Over the years we’ve seen Panathlon go from strength to strength and make precisely that difference.
“The many personal stories we’ve heard during that time from Panathlon competitors about the impact it’s made on their lives are fantastic.”
Liz Johnson, Paralympic gold medal winner and Panathlon Ambassador, said: “It’s fantastic that the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation has continued to invest in Panathlon, which will create many thousands more sporting opportunities in the years ahead for young people with disabilities and special educational needs. Thank you for supporting Panathlon.”
Find out more at the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation website.
