The main stage at the Teddy Rocks Festival with headline sponsor, OnBuy.
Published: November 26, 2020 | Updated: 27th November 2020
OnBuy saves Teddy Rocks festival with two-year sponsorship
OnBuy.com, the Poole-based online marketplace, has committed to a new two-year headline sponsorship of the Teddy Rocks Festival.
It will create a much-needed financial lifeline after the music festival was forced to postpone this year’s event due to Covid-19.
The Teddy Rocks Festival raises money for children’s cancer charity, Teddy20.
The new sponsorship deal means that OnBuy will have donated a total of £120,000 to the event since first sponsoring the festival in 2018.
Sponsorship money helps to pay for the running costs of the festival, allowing Teddy Rocks Festival to donate all proceeds raised to Teddy20.
Cas Paton, Founder and CEO of OnBuy, pictured left, said: “Knowing the impact cancer has on a family, I feel a strong affinity with the incredible work of the Teddy20 charity.
“The pandemic has had an immense impact on not-for-profit organisations and charities, meaning many are unable to continue providing the services and care they have done for so many years.
“I wanted to ensure that Teddy Rocks Festival had the funds to operate for the next couple of years to continue the great work it does with children affected by cancer for many years to come.”
Teddy Rocks Festival was created by Tom Newton in 2012 as a way of raising money for the charity Teddy20, run by his parents, Owen and Kim Newton.
Teddy20 provides emotional and financial support to children and young people suffering and undergoing treatment for cancer.
The charity was set up in memory of Tom’s brother, Ted Newton, who died at the age of ten in 2010 from a rare form of bone cancer.
Tom Newton said: “2020 has been incredibly hard for us.
“Having to postpone the festival this year was devastating but we are buoyed up and raring to go for 2021 and OnBuy’s donation has set us in good stead for it to be an epic weekend.
“Cas and the OnBuy team always go above and beyond to help the festival in any way they can.
“So far, that help has ranged from helping with design and sourcing event supplies, to standing in the crowd and singing along to the bands.
“Without the support of sponsors, financial or otherwise, we simply couldn’t put the festival on.
“The money that OnBuy has donated since 2019 has helped us get to where we are now and helped us raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for Teddy20.”
The money raised by the Teddy Rocks Festival helps Teddy20 to purchase games and toys to keep children entertained during their hospital visits as well as providing financial and emotional support for parents, which can also include paying for funeral bills.
Teddy Rocks Festival will take place from Friday, April 30 to Sunday, May 2, 2021 at Charisworth Farm, Blandford Forum, Dorset.
Visit teddyrocks.co.uk to book tickets and to find out more information about the event.
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Online event to unlock digital potential for businesses post lockdown
A virtual panel discussion will help businesses share lessons learnt from two national lockdowns and thrive in 2021 and beyond.
Key Digital is facilitating the Unlock networking event which is normally held at the company’s headquarters in Poundbury.
This time the digital specialist is taking it online.
Unlock Online will feature special guests from the beverage industry, holiday park sector and local authority.
The discussion will explore how their businesses moved quickly to adapt, innovate and deliver new services, products and positioning.
The panel features:
David Lakins, Managing Director, Key Digital, pictured left, said: “The aim of the session is to take a closer look at the challenges faced by many businesses, and to highlight how tech can support by addressing some of these now and in the future.
“We’ve already had a good uptake from business leaders wishing to join the session and a benefit of going virtual is that there is no limit on the number that can attend.”
Throughout the year businesses have been faced with many new challenges.
They’ve found themselves having to rethink their strategy to incorporate ecommerce solutions to fulfil orders.
By hosting the online session Key Digital hopes to help businesses and provide answers for a sustainable future.
Unlock Online is free for businesses to attend.
It takes place on Tuesday December 1 from 1pm to 2.15pm.
You can request an invitation from Key Digital here.
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Get into Christmas with the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation
Sign up to the first ever Virtual Santa Fun Run .
That’s the message from the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation (JTYAF).
It is staging the event on December 20, supporting local young people to achieve their ambitions.
You can register on the JTYAF website here.
Then just organise your Santa suit, choose a two-mile route and set off!
There will be prizes for the ‘Best Dressed Santa’ and ‘Best Dressed Mini Santa.’
But if you’d rather be an elf, a snowman or a reindeer that’s fine too, as long as it’s in keeping with the Christmas theme.
You can be anywhere in the world, take part solo or make it a family challenge.
However, JTYAF is asking, please, that government Covid-19 guidelines are observed.
Trustee Linda Thornton said: “Why not setup your own online fundraising page?
“Any fundraising that you are able to do right now, however limited, will make a huge difference to the JTYAF.
“If you want to take part but do not wish to raise funds through sponsorship, then please donate to the JTYAF on our JustGiving page.
“Send us a selfie of you, or you and your family completing your challenge and we’ll send you a certificate of achievement and thanks.
“Get on social and use the hashtag #jtyafsantarun to share the fun.
“Please get into the Christmas spirit and help us to support local young people.”
The John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation was established in 2008 to honour the memory of John Thornton.
The Royal Marines Officer from Ferndown, pictured left, was tragically killed, at the age of 22, whilst serving in Afghanistan.
The JTYAF supports young people from a number of youth organisations providing them with scholarships and bursaries which give them access to opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have had.
Since 2008 more than £750,000 has been awarded to nearly 2,000 young people.
Find out more about the work of the JTYAF at www.jtyaf.org
