Vitesse Scores With Charity Football Tournament Fundraiser For St. Giles Trust

Vitesse raised over £5,000 in funds for London charity St. Giles Trust in their annual Football Fives Tournament. In its second year, the event has almost doubled since its debut in 2022, with 22 teams participating compared to 12 a year ago. The proceeds will go directly to St. Giles, a charity that helps people living in poverty.

On Thursday, 25th May, the 22 teams – consisting predominantly of companies within the insurance industry – came together to play a friendly tournament at Powerleague Shoreditch. Although the tournament was designed for fun, attendees were reminded of what their participation meant for the charity. St. Giles uses its expertise and real-life past experiences to empower people who are not getting the help they need and those who are difficult to engage because they have been consistently failed.

The funds will be going towards helping people in the St. Giles network. Just two of the ways that the money will help are:

• £20 could provide a struggling family access to a weekly shop of healthy, nutritious food at the St. Giles Pantry, with wraparound practical support to help end food poverty for good.
• £50 could provide emergency support and a safe place to stay for a woman leaving prison who has experienced abuse and cannot afford rent.

“Thank you so much to Vitesse for putting on an excellent football fundraiser on behalf of St. Giles,” said Katy Vaughan, Executive Director of Fundraising and Communications at St Giles. “We’re immensely grateful that Vitesse chose to partner with St. Giles, and we’re confident that our shared values will mean this partnership will be incredibly impactful to those we help.”

The partnership was facilitated by The Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation (IICF) back in February – Wendy Wilder, the Executive Director of the IICF, is excited to see the relationship between St. Giles and Vitesse grow.

“The vision of the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation is to be a catalyst for impactful corporate giving,” said Wendy, “connecting our corporate and charity partners and inspiring people in insurance to make a positive difference in local communities. The Football Fives Tournament that Vitesse hosted to raise funds for St. Giles is a wonderful example of how companies bring our vision to life.”

“For the second year, our Football Fives Tournament is back… and bigger,” said Phillip McGriskin, Vitesse’s CEO and co-founder. “But this year, it feels even better to know that we’re doing it for a cause so close to our hearts here at Vitesse. We’ve worked closely with the St. Giles since the beginning of 2023, and it’s great to support their network.

“We know just how much this money will help the people they support, not just physically, but financially and emotionally too. It’s this impact and momentum that we definitely want to continue with! I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”