Charity vote

Vote for our next charity partner

This year we’re excited to offer our members the opportunity to vote for our next charity partner. We’ve carefully selected three very worthy charities for you to vote for.

The winner of our member vote will benefit from extra Skipton Building Society funding for the next three years to fund their planned projects. We’ve pledged £3.3m to charitable causes over 2024, and 60% of this, which is over £2m will be donated to the charity voted for by members over a three year period.

Each of the charities supports our goal of helping underrepresented members of society to have access to a safe, secure place to call home. You could make a huge difference to the future activities of your preferred charity, and the people they support, simply by voting for them.

Discover more about the projects each charity will carry out if they win our member vote.

Age UK

Age UK provides vital information, advice, support and friendship for older people – including those living in poverty or in deprived communities.

Project: A place to call home

1 in 7 older households live in ‘non-decent’ housing and older homelessness is rising. To tackle these issues, Age UK will use the funding to provide one-to-one, tailored advice sessions across the UK. These sessions will support vulnerable older people to live in safe, secure and warm homes. For example, advising them of government allowances and discounts, discussing care support and housing options, and connecting them to friendship and emotional support.

They’ll also carry out research into the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on older households. The findings will be used to challenge the government to improve the support for older people in need.

Find out more from Age UK [PDF]

Barnardo's

Barnardo’s supports children and young people who are experiencing poverty, poor health, inequality or risk of harm.

Project: Every child deserves a place to call home

To help families at risk of homelessness, Barnardo’s will use the funding to provide direct poverty relief, health and wellbeing care, and housing and tenancy support.

Part of the funding will enable Barnardo’s to provide families in poverty with home essentials - from curtains and carpets to reduce cold and damp, to beds for children sleeping on the floor.

Barnardo’s will also employ two new Housing Advocacy Officers to support with specialist housing issues, so families in or at risk of homelessness have a safe and stable place to call home.

Find out more from Barnardo’s [PDF]

Depaul UK

Depaul UK supports young people facing homelessness in the UK every year.

Project: A safe place to call home for young people

Depaul UK will use the funding to improve and develop three of their services:

Nightstop – A unique service that offers immediate emergency accommodation in local communities across the country. Volunteer hosts offer their spare room to young people at risk of sleeping rough.

Reconnect – A mediation and support service that helps young people at risk of becoming homeless because of family breakdown.

Housing Advice – They’ll expand one-to-one support for young people experiencing a housing crisis by adding a new specialist post to support the specific needs faced in the North of England.

Find out more from Depaul UK [PDF]