In episode 42 of The Charity Show, Tim and Piers tackle one of the biggest questions facing charity comms teams right now: what do you do about social media - and is it finally time to walk away from X?

The main conversation is a two-part deep dive with Madeleine Sugden, digital impact consultant and author of the blog that coined the phrase “the Charity Exodus” – a renewed wave of charities leaving X following recent changes to the platform.

Madeline unpacks what’s really driving this shift, from content moderation failures and safeguarding concerns, to the introduction of AI tools like Grok and the breaking of what many charities see as ethical red lines. She explains why some organisations are leaving loudly, others quietly, and why for many charities the decision isn’t as straightforward as it might look from the outside.

Together, Tim, Piers and Madeline explore:

• Why the charity sector feels particularly exposed on platforms like X
• The reputational and ethical risks charities are weighing up
• Whether X is still the place for journalists, politicians and crisis comms
• What the data actually shows about engagement and reach
• The rise of BlueSky and why some charities are thriving there
• When mirror publishing works – and when it doesn’
• How AI-generated content is changing the rules for charity com
• Why flexibility, values and clarity matter more than ever in social media strategy

Useful links:

• Madeleine's blog: https://madlinblog.wordpress.com/

• AP Cymru – Supporting neurodivergent children and families in Wales
  https://www.apcymru.org.uk

• The Muscle Help Foundation – Creating “Muscle Dreams” for young people with muscular dystrophy
  https://www.musclehelp.com

• The Good Studio – Creative content for good causes
  https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• • Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform
  • Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
  • Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

  💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

  This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

  
  

In episode 41 of The Charity Show, Tim Beynon and Piers Townley dive into one of the most intriguing (and intimidating) areas of charity communications: working with celebrities, influencers and content creators.

Joining Tim for a deep-dive conversation is Rachel Braier, a PR and celebrity consultant who specialises in matching public figures with charities in ways that are authentic, strategic and genuinely effective. Rachel brings a refreshingly honest, human take on what really works – and what definitely doesn’t – when charities try to harness influence.

The episode kicks off with Tim and Piers reflecting on the long slog of January, the realities of freelance life, and what’s been keeping them busy across the sector – from Brain Tumour Awareness Month planning and celebrity partnerships, to the growing power of the charity freelance community.

From there, Rachel helps demystify the world of celebrity engagement. She explains why the definition of “celebrity” has fundamentally changed, why lived experience matters more than follower numbers, and how charities – especially small and medium-sized ones – can stop feeling “cap in hand” and start recognising the value they bring to the table.

The conversation also tackles some of the trickier realities charities face, including:

• Why influencer and celebrity engagement isn’t just about reach anymore

• How charities should approach agents (and why timing and instinct matter)

• The rise – and serious underestimation – of micro-influencers

• How to think about stewardship, not just one-off asks

• Managing reputational risk, cancel culture and crisis moments

• Supporting staff wellbeing when working closely with celebrities with lived experience

Alongside the main interview, Tim and Piers break down the latest charity sector news, including:

• A new £11.5 million government fund aimed at strengthening partnerships between charities and local authorities

• Fresh insights from the Mass Participation Pulse report on the future of charity fundraising events, rising costs and shifting motivations for fundraisers

As always, the episode wraps up by shining a spotlight on small charities doing brilliant work with limited resources, including Canine Partners and the Children and Young People’s Cancer Association, reinforcing why smaller organisations deserve more visibility across the sector.

Whether you work in comms, fundraising, campaigns or leadership, this episode offers practical insight, reassurance and a confidence boost for any charity wondering whether celebrity or influencer engagement is really “for them”.

Useful links

• Canine Partners – https://www.caninepartners.org.uk

• Children and Young People’s Cancer Association – https://www.cclg.org.uk/

• Mass Participation Pulse Report – https://massive.co.uk/news/the-mass-participation-pulse-2026/

• The Good Studio – Creative content for good causes: https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Happy New Year and welcome to the first show of 2026.
In this episode, Tim and Piers kick off the year by reflecting on life in the sector, the realities of charity leadership and what smaller organisations can teach the rest of us about agility, innovation and resilience.

They’re joined by Sharon Bell, who shares her “squiggly career” journey from chartered accountant to Chief Executivem of Services For Education, trustee and education leader. It’s an honest conversation about governance, perspective, lived experience and why getting involved at different levels of the sector really matters.

As always, the episode also shines a light on two brilliant small charities doing big things in their communities.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why the New Year Honours List matters for charities – not just celebrities

• What a “squiggly career” really looks like in the charity sector

• Moving between large and small charities – and what each can learn from the other

• Governance challenges and opportunities at different organisational sizes

• Why smaller charities are often forced to be the most innovative

• Encouraging charity professionals to get involved as trustees, governors and volunteers

Useful links

• Services for Education – https://www.servicesforeducation.co.uk

• Baby Basics Northampton – https://baby-basics.org.uk/centre/northampton

• Friends and Places Together – https://www.friendsandplacestogether.org.uk

• New Year Honours List (UK Government) – https://www.gov.uk/honours

• NCVO – Trusteeship and Governance – https://www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/governance

• The Good Studio – Great content for good causes: https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠⁠

This week, Tim and Piers are joined by Howard Taylor, CEO of Lumos Foundation, the international charity founded by J.K. Rowling that is working to end the institutionalisation of children around the world.

Howard shares the staggering reality that four out of five children in orphanages aren’t orphans, the systems that separate families, and Lumos’s mission to help children grow up safely, with love, in families — not institutions.

Along the way, Howard reflects on Lumos’s 20-year journey, the challenges and breakthroughs of global child protection, and what needs to change if we’re serious about protecting the world’s most vulnerable children.

Between the conversation, Tim and Piers dive into the week’s charity news — from Giving Tuesday scam warnings to a controversial PETA Christmas ad — and shine the Small Charity Spotlight on two inspiring organisations supporting families through cancer.

In this episode

• 🌍 Why 80% of children in orphanages worldwide have at least one living parent — and what drives family separation.

• 👶 Lumos’s mission to end the institutional care of children and rebuild family- and community-based alternatives.

• 🏠 What deinstitutionalisation really looks like on the ground — and why it’s complex, long-term work.

• 💬 Howard’s reflections on leadership, working internationally, and staying mission-focused in difficult contexts.

• 📣 How storytelling, language and public perception influence global child-protection policy.

• ❤️ The role of hope, partnership and persistence when tackling huge systemic problems.Useful links

• Lumos Foundation – https://www.wearelumos.org

• Milly’s Smiles – Childhood Cancer Charity - Millys Smiles

• The Brain Tumour Charity – https://www.thebraintumourcharity.org

• PETA UK – https://www.peta.org.uk

The Good Studio – https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠

Charity shops are often talked about but rarely understood — so this week we’re joined by Robin Osterley OBE, outgoing Chief Executive of the Charity Retail Association, to explore what’s really happening on the high street.

Robin has led the CRA through retail turbulence, COVID, rising costs and huge shifts in public behaviour. Fresh from receiving his OBE, he shares a clear and honest picture of the charity retail landscape - what’s changing, what’s working, and where the real opportunities are.

In this episode

• Why reports of mass charity shop closures are misleading

• The rise of bigger, better “superstores” and what’s driving the change

• Why profitability matters more than ever

• The cost challenge: wages, NI, inflation and volunteer shortages

• What really sells in charity shops (and what doesn’t)

• The impact of fast fashion on donations and waste

• How online platforms, reselling and AI are opening new opportunities

• The huge social value generated by charity retail

• Robin’s advice to charities considering expanding into retail

Sector News

A Donor Code of Conduct?The Chartered Institute of Fundraising calls for a code following new data showing fundraisers — particularly women — reporting unacceptable behaviour from donors.

Key Takeaways

• Charity retail isn’t declining — it’s evolving

• Larger stores and better curation are improving profitability

• Online resale is supporting, not undermining, charity retail

• Fast fashion is the biggest operational challenge

• Charity shops remain powerful community hubs and sustainability champions

• For every £1 invested, over £7 of social value is created

• With the right model, retail can be a major strategic asset for charities

Useful Links

• Charity Retail Association
  https://www.charityretail.org.uk

• Chartered Institute of Fundraising –
  https://www.ciof.org.uk

• The Charity Shop Gift Card
  https://www.thecharityshopgiftcard.co.uk

• British Heart Foundation – Online Shop
  https://www.bhf.org.uk/shop

• Emmaus UK – Social Enterprise & Superstores
  https://emmaus.org.uk

• Shelter – Charity Shops & Visual Merchandising Work
  https://england.shelter.org.uk/shop

• Oxfam Online Shop
  https://onlineshop.oxfam.org.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠

Welcome back to The Charity Show Bites - your quick-fire roundup of uplifting stories, clever ideas and community-led initiatives from across the UK charity sector.

With stormy weather rolling in and temperatures dropping, Tim and Piers explore the creative, practical and often heartwarming ways charities and local groups are helping people stay warm, connected and supported this winter. From befriending calls to warm hubs, mobile soup vans to volunteer lift schemes, this episode is full of the brilliant small ideas that make a big difference.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🔔 Age UK London — winter check-ins, home visits, phone calls and warm-space signposting to keep older Londoners safe and connected.

• 🧤 National Grid Community Matters Fund — grants for warm hubs, food provision, emergency heating support and energy efficiency workshops.

• 🥣 The Salvation Army — its annual winter appeal, including mobile support: roving soup vans, pop-up warm spaces and outreach teams distributing hot meals and thermal clothing.

• 🎄 Age UK Notts: No One Should Have No One — festive lunches, befriending visits, doorstop check-ins and hundreds of new December volunteers.

• 🧥 Health, Hearts & Hope (Kent & Medway) — the Winter Kits Appeal, providing £70 rough-sleeping packs and relaunching their hot-water-bottle scheme.

• 🏠 Places for People – Winter Ready Programme — supporting 49 local warm hubs and food banks through insulation fixes, draft-proofing and heating upgrades.

• ☕ Royal Voluntary Service — new warm-welcome sessions across the North East and South Wales, offering drinks, activities, exercise and social connection.

• 🚗 Community Transport: Warm Wheels — volunteer-driven lifts to warm hubs, lunch clubs and medical appointments in rural areas where bus routes have declined.

👉 Whether it’s a warm meal, a warm place or simply warm company, this episode shines a light on the everyday heroes helping their neighbours through winter.

Useful links:

• Age UK London – https://www.ageuk.org.uk/london

• National Grid Community Matters Fund – https://www.nationalgrid.co.uk

• The Salvation Army – https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk

• Age UK Nottingham & Nottinghamshire – https://www.ageuk.org.uk/notts

• Health, Hearts & Hope – https://www.healthheartshope.org

• Places for People – https://www.placesforpeople.co.uk

• Royal Voluntary Service – https://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

• Community Transport Association (Warm Wheels links) – https://ctauk.org

• The Good Studio – https://www.thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show and The Charity Show Bites on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠⁠

In this episode, Tim and Piers are joined by two of the sector’s leading voices on disability inclusion:

• Anna Tylor, Chair of the Board of Trustees at RNIB

• Mark Hodgkinson, Chief Executive of Scope, the disability equality charity.

Together, they discuss the evolution of inclusion - from challenging stereotypes to transforming public attitudes - and how two of the UK’s biggest charities are leading the way in terms of embedding lived experience into all aspects of their work.

In this episode, we explore:

• ♿ Why lived experience in leadership matters and how RNIB and Scope bring disabled voices into decision-making.

• 🧭 How boards can keep inclusion on the agenda without slipping into tick-box territory.

• 💬 Moving from compliance to culture - what true accessibility looks like day to day.

• 📈 The disability employment gap - why it’s still stubbornly wide and what needs to change.

• 🤝 Allyship and collaboration - how non-disabled and disabled colleagues can drive change together.

• 🧠 Tech and inclusion - opportunities, risks and why AI could be a game-changer for accessibility.

• 🛠 Simple steps every charity can take to become more inclusive.

Tim and Piers look at the Poppy Appeal, now more than a century old, reflecting on its huge reach and the lasting support it provides for veterans and their families. They also discuss new CAF research showing two-thirds of charity leaders believe the sector’s health is “unwell,” with rising demand, burnout and financial strain topping the list. Finally, they touch on Mind’s latest report warning of a worsening youth mental-health crisis, with more young people struggling and long waits for help.

This week’s Small Charity Spotlight features Footprints Baby Loss, a small, volunteer-led charity offering peer support and training for families and health professionals after baby loss, and Contact, the long-standing charity helping families with disabled children through advice, practical support and campaigning for better rights and services.

Useful links

• RNIB – rnib.org.uk

• Scope – scope.org.uk

• Footprints Baby Loss

• Contact (for families with disabled children) – contact.org.uk

• Royal British Legion (Poppy Appeal)

• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) – sector wellbeing / reports – cafonline.org

• Mind – youth mental health research – mind.org.uk

• The Good Studio – thegoodstudio.co.uk

  
  

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠

Welcome back to The Charity Show Bites — your quick-fire fix of surprising stories, small charity heroes, and the creativity that keeps the sector glowing.

With Bonfire Night lighting up skies across the UK, Tim and Piers turn their attention to the real fireworks - the fundraisers, volunteers and communities using the season to raise thousands for good causes. From lantern-lit remembrance events to neon carnivals and full-blown pyrotechnic competitions, this episode celebrates the warmth, generosity and community spirit that make November 5th one of the biggest fundraising nights of the year.

Episode highlights

In this episode, we explore:

• 🔥 Flint RNLI Fireworks at Flint Castle – an all-volunteer event raising thousands for the life-saving lifeboat station on the River Dee.

• 🎆 Huddersfield Round Table Bonfire – one of Yorkshire’s biggest community events, raising £30,000 for local charities including The Welcome Centre Food Bank and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

• 🧣 Bradley Stoke Town Council Fireworks Night (South Gloucestershire) – every penny of ticket sales donated to Mamas Bristol and Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.

• 🕯️ Saint Luke’s Hospice “Light Up the Night” – a moving blend of remembrance and celebration, raising £10,000 for hospice care in Sheffield.

• 💡 Bridgewater Carnival – Europe’s largest illuminated charity carnival, generating £40,000 for Brainwave and St Margaret’s Hospice.

• 🎇 Leighton Buzzard Fireworks Committee – over 60 years of volunteer-run displays, raising £28,000 for the Scouts and local hospice services.

• 💥 Southport Fireworks Champions Show – a competitive pyrotechnic event supporting Queenscourt Hospice.

• 🚑 Community First Responders & Air Ambulance Services – how local Bonfire Night collections are literally saving lives.

Useful links

• RNLI (Flint Lifeboat Station) – rnli.org

• The Welcome Centre Food Bank – thewelcomecentre.org

• Yorkshire Air Ambulance – yaa.org.uk

• Mamas Bristol – mamasbristol.org.uk

• Great Western Air Ambulance Charity – gwaac.com

• Saint Luke’s Hospice Sheffield – stlukeshospice.org.uk

• Bridgewater Carnival – bridgewatercarnival.org.uk

• Brainwave – brainwave.org.uk

• St Margaret’s Hospice – st-margarets-hospice.org.uk

• Queenscourt Hospice – queenscourt.org.uk

• The Good Studio – creative content for good causes: thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show and The Charity Show Bites on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠⁠

This week, Tim and Piers are joined by Nathan Atkinson, co-founder of Rethink Food, a social enterprise on a mission to end hunger through education, sustainability and dignity.

From life as a headteacher in Leeds to leading one of the UK’s Top 100 Social Enterprises, Nathan’s story is both powerful and practical — showing how small actions can spark national change.

In this episode, we explore:

• 🍞 How one conversation with a hungry pupil changed Nathan’s life — and inspired Rethink Food.

• 🥕 The National School Pantry Network, helping families access food with dignity, not dependency.

• 🌍 Teaching children to “eat to save the planet” through creative food education.

• 💪 Why empowerment, not stigma, must sit at the heart of food support.

• 🎬 The role of storytelling in changing perceptions — and how Rethink Food uses creativity to connect.

• 🧠 Why innovation often starts in the quiet moments — and how the sector can learn from that mindset.

Between parts one and two of the interview, Tim and Piers unpack the week’s charity news, including:

• ⚠️ A major report predicting a shortfall of 3 million volunteers across UK charities — and what that could mean for the sector.

• 🎮 The rise of gaming for good, with YouTube star TommyInnit raising £450,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital through a live-streamed mystery game.

And as always, we shine our Small Charity Spotlight on two brilliant organisations:

• 🛍️ World Food Aid Shop (Clacton-on-Sea) – funding food banks and disaster relief, with volunteer power at its heart.

• 🧸 MERU – designing and adapting assistive products and sensory toys for disabled children, giving independence and joy where it’s most needed.

👉 Whether you work in food insecurity, education or community programmes, this episode will leave you inspired by what’s possible when creativity meets compassion.

Useful links

• Rethink Food – rethinkfood.org.uk

• National School Pantry Network – rethinkfood.org.uk/nspn

• Royal Voluntary Service report on volunteering – royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk

• Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity – gosh.org

• World Food Aid Shop – worldfoodaid.org

• MERU – meru.org.uk

• The Good Studio – Creative content for good causes: thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠The Good Studio⁠ – Creating great content for good causes.From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠

Welcome to The Charity Show Bites - your quick-fire fix of surprising stories, sector insights and the occasional spooky surprise between our main episodes.

This week, Tim and Piers go full Halloween, rounding up the most creative, funny and downright frightful charity fundraisers from across the UK. From eerie forest trails to glow-in-the-dark runs, haunted quizzes to record-breaking pumpkin carving, these events prove that when it comes to fundraising, imagination is everything.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🎃 The London Halloween Walk – hundreds of costumed walkers and eerie pit stops.

• 💡 Hope House Dark Runs – glowing 5K events across North Wales and Shropshire.

• 👻 Leeds Scare Trails – actors, soundscapes and full horror after dark.

• 🧠 Warwick Quiz Night – spooky trivia and fancy dress.

• 🏗️ The Gelder Group Haunted Walk – a Lincolnshire construction company turning its forest into a fright fest.

• 🐾 Lancaster Animal Care’s Spooky Craft Day – recycled crafts, pumpkins and handmade decorations.

• 🪓 The Faversham Pumpkin Challenge – hundreds of volunteers carving 1,000 pumpkins.

Useful links

• The London Halloween Walk (Action Challenge) – https://www.ultrachallenge.com

• Hope House Children’s Hospices – hopehouse.org.uk

• Leeds Mind – leedsmind.org.uk

• BBC Children in Need – bbcchildreninneed.co.uk

• St Barnabas Hospice – stbarnabashospice.co.uk

• Lancaster Animal Care – animalcare-lancaster.co.uk

• Macmillan Cancer Support – macmillan.org.uk

• The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes: thegoodstudio.co.uk

Get involved:

• Listen to The Charity Show and The Charity Show Bites on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platform

• Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShow⁠
• Find every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!

💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.

This episode is produced by ⁠⁠The Good Studio⁠⁠ – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk ⁠