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Moneypenny supporting WeMindTheGap

Incredible things happen when we care

Caring is what we do: about our clients, about our people, about our team. We also care about creating opportunities for all, and the part each of us has to play in creating a fairer society. In 2014 Rachel Clacher, our co-founder, took that to a whole new level by establishing powerful social mobility charity, WeMindTheGap. By putting love and care at its heart, and combining that with real experiences, WeMindTheGap delivers real and lasting change that transforms futures.

Supported by

Meet the powerhouse behind WeMindTheGap

With Moneypenny fully fledged and growing organically, Rachel recounts the decision she made to take her own bit of ‘direct action’:

“I had always wondered what would happen if we applied Moneypenny’s approach to people to a whole new cohort in our local community, namely young people imprisoned by circumstance - in care, living in homeless hostels - who are not ready to walk through any employers’ door. In 2014 Moneypenny was flying, thanks to our amazing leadership team, so I decided to take time to find out.

With the blessing of Moneypenny’s management team and an amount a money, I enrolled the help of fellow PTA member and friend Diane Aplin, and we designed a comprehensive programme. Our list of everything we could think of that young people need to thrive - things that the rest of us might take for granted - in some ways resembled the lists that Ed and I had made many years before, when we were so focused on delivering what our new Moneypenny clients and team needed. The outcome was a six-month employment programme, the results of which were outstanding by any measure. This then gave us the confidence to set up a dedicated charity that stands separate from, but supported by, Moneypenny and runs more programmes every year for more young people.

What we have learnt is that while the obvious things - work experience, role models, workshops, coaching, support - are important, it’s love, care and constancy, the 100,000+ human things that we do, which make the real difference. The result, maybe not unsurprisingly, is that both Moneypenny and WeMIndTheGap are run on exactly the same principles: if we get the 100,000 small things right and treat everyone as we would want to be treated ourselves, then the big things happen.

We call our young people our ‘gappies’. We have proven that we can transform futures, and we want to continue doing this for more and more young people every year. They deserve better, and their children deserve better too.“

Commercial principles solving social challenges

Here at Moneypenny, our dedicated PAs look after calls for their own portfolio of clients, working in scalable teams of five - which includes a Team Leader. It’s a proven model that Rachel found herself applying at WeMindTheGap: e.g. for WeGrow, each group of 10 gappies has their own Skipper (programme lead) and First Mate (welfare officer). The result is a similarly scalable group of close-knit cohorts, whose personal circumstances and needs can be met in an agile and sensitive way.

Programmes available

WeDiscover
3 months

A virtual programme for 16–19 year olds. A chance to gain new skills and experiences and, with the support of a mentor, build a plan for a bright future.

WeGrow
12 months

A life-changing programme for 18+ year olds including six-months’ paid employment, work placements, coaching and mentoring sessions, activity days and experiences.

WeBelong
Lifetime

All gappies stay part of the WeMindTheGap family. We offer lifelong support and a safe and trusted person to talk to – whether that’s help with careers, housing, money, wellbeing or relationships.

Incredible figures which speak for themselves

The contribution of WeMindTheGap, per cohort of 10 gappies enrolled, is truly inspiring. And the team aren’t done yet. By 2025, WeMindTheGap aims to benefit a total of 16 communities across the region, creating capacity for 160 participants and a lifelong total of 450 successful graduates. The dream? A nationwide network of programmes, there to catch young people who deserve better from slipping through the net.

Impacts

Within 1 year of graduation

Social impact of

£550,000

per cohort of 10 young people

Public cost saving of

£190,000

per cohort of 10 young people

For every £1 invested, WeMindTheGap returns £3.60 in social value within 18 months.

Read WeMindTheGap's full social return on investment report here.

Behind the scenes support for a cause that’s close to our hearts

Everyone here at Moneypenny is so incredibly proud of Rachel, and everything she and the team at WeMindTheGap have achieved within a space of just a few years. Here is how we facilitate their day-to-day activity:

Free office space

A very special home for the team at our old premises - just down the road from Moneypenny HQ.

Work experience

We welcome gappies here at Moneypenny by offering work experience placements for all Wrexham WeGrow participants.

Graduation venue

Moneypenny HQ hosts this very special ceremony every year for gappies - a chance to dress up and celebrate in style!

Role models

Members of the Moneypenny team share their stories and skills - providing inspiration, lessons learnt, hopes and dreams.

WeMindTheGap is always looking for new businesses to support its work in similar ways in the communities that it works in - currently Manchester, Flintshire and Wrexham. Please do get in touch if you can help in any way.

Throw your support behind WeMindTheGap

Whether you’d like to find out about its programmes, start fundraising or even adopting WeMindTheGap as your ‘charity of the year’ - the team would love to hear from you. Call 0333 939 8818 or email [email protected]

Visit WeMindTheGap