Giving it Back is a fundamental principle of Lodestar’s philosophy.
We are committed to giving some time each year to charitable or pro-bono work, sharing our business knowledge and expertise to help charities and social enterprise organisations.
St Martin-in-the-Fields
As part of Lodestar’s Giving it Back programme, Julie Fitzsimmins has been non-executive Marketing Director at St Martin-in-the-Fields for more than 15 years. During this time and thanks to the wonderful support and commitment of donors, advisors, board members and the St Martin’s community, the £36m capital campaign for the Renewal of St Martin-in-the-Fields has now been completed.
Half the money was raised from public sources including £15.35m from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The other half, comprising gifts from several thousand donors, was raised from a mix of individuals, trusts and businesses. The Rev Nicholas Holtam, vicar of St Martin in the Fields, said: “St Martin’s is grateful for all the generous donations which have enabled us to serve those in greatest need, and enrich people’s lives through worship, social care, music and hospitality in spaces fit for the purpose”. Lodestar is incredibly proud of this project and will continue to support and promote it.
Find out more about brilliant work being carried out by St Martin–in-the-Fields >
London Playing Fields Foundation
We are delighted to support the work of the London Playing Fields Foundation – the main charity for the protection, provision and promotion of playing fields in London. The Foundation was founded in 1890 by visionary Victorians concerned about the loss of London's green space and the impact it would have on the number of Londoners who could play sport and stay active. They recognised that in protecting playing fields, they could improve the lives of local communities – something that remains at the centre of their mission today.
Cumbria‘s Museum of Military Life
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things! Launched in 2014, Cumbria‘s Museum of Military Life is Carlisle’s newest visitor attraction, and tells the 300-year story of Cumbria’s County Infantry Regiment and its soldiers, families and communities – past and present.
The museum has had a £1.5m refit (supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund) and its state-of-the-art facilities have created space to show different aspects of the museum treasures. Learning and access if a large part of the museum’s role today and an extensive programme is in place to support schools, local groups, research and university projects.
Lodestar’s Julie Fitzsimmins has been a museum trustee since 2013 and has been instrumental in developing the business plan for HLF, overseeing a new brand strategy and supporting the marketing and fundraising work of the current team.
Royal Society of Arts
Directors Judith Powling and Julie Fitzsimmins have been are Fellows of the RSA for more than 20 years. The Fellowship is a global network of 27,000 people who support the RSA's mission to enrich society through ideas and action.
Judith supports the RSA's sustainability objectives and works with a specialist group to develop guidelines on the development of sustainability awards. This is to encourage the identification of good practice that can be shared across sectors, and to ensure that awards are developed rigorously and transparently.
