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Community Partnerships

Enabling change together

Clydesdale Bank is one of many organisations that are committed to making a difference in the community. Through our Community Partnership programme, we work with a select number of groups to address shared issues of concern. Our current community investment priorities are numeracy and financial capability and we have two flag ship programmes; Count Me In and Count and Grow.

Count Me In

In 2004 Dundee City Council and Clydesdale Bank launched an exciting new numeracy project aimed at the under 5 age group.

A community-based project targeting pre-school children, 'Count Me In' uses books and accessories to animate the learning process and strengthen mathematical concepts through story and rhyme. Accessed through libraries in 8 local authorities throughout Scotland, parents and carers can take advantage of well-stocked 'Count Me In' learning bags* which have been created for three specific age groups - under ones, two to three years and four to five years - and have also been developed in a number of ethnic minority languages including Hindi, Punjabi and Chinese.

As well as providing financial and practical support to the project, Clydesdale Bank's sponsorship also includes a team of local banking volunteers who will assist the Council's library staff in delivering the project through storytelling sessions and homework clubs.


Count and Grow

The Royal Highland Education Trust (RHET) is a registered charity which aims to provide a better understanding of the changes currently taking place in rural Scotland and to work alongside schools by providing resources materials and activities to enhance studies of Scottish farming, food and countryside.

In 2005 RHET joined forces with Clydesdale Bank to launch an exciting numeracy project
The innovative 'Count and Grow' project, uses an animated potato hero, 'Superspud', to encourage the learning process and help strengthen mathematical concepts, in 2008 the project will operate in over 300 primary schools across Scotland.

Throughout the 10 week project period, children are encouraged to grow their own crop of potatoes and participate in a range of both desk-top and on-line activities such as measuring, graphing and weighing the potatoes. Through links with local farmers, children also gain a better understanding that food is grown for their consumption and a greater awareness of general farming issues.

As part of the project, children are encouraged to take part in an on-line competition to enter the weight of their potato crop with a further prize being awarded to the school with the highest yield of potatoes.  The resource pack also raises awareness of healthy eating with activities such as learning to cook potato soup.

As well as providing financial and practical support to the project, Clydesdale Bank's sponsorship also includes a team of local banking volunteers who assist RHET in delivering the project in schools.

How we form our partnerships

As well as proactively seeking suitable community partners, Clydesdale Bank also welcomes approaches from charities or not-for-profit organisations that can demonstrate their ability to manage a community project and evaluate its success objectively.
We do not normally support:

  • activities taking place outside Clydesdale Bank's operating area
  • individuals and individual fundraisers
  • capital projects
  • salary expenses
  • third party fundraising (i.e. advertising in charity programmes or gala fundraising events)
    political or religious organisations

What we need to know

If your organisation satisfies these criteria and would like to consider a partnership there is no application form to complete. All we ask is that you send us a proposal setting out the following:

  • a brief history of your organisation
  • confirmation of charitable or not-for-profit status
  • how your organisation is funded, including details of any other corporate partners
  • a copy of your annual report/review and accounts
  • the sponsorship fee and project costs
  • benefits to Clydesdale Bank as sponsor and an outline of how you plan to acknowledge support from the bank
  • supporting PR/Communications plan (outline only) - you may wish to include press cuttings of previous projects or partnerships
  • details on how you plan to evaluate the impact of your project

How to contact us

Completed proposals should be sent to:
Irene Swankie
Community Affairs Manager
Clydesdale Bank Exchange
Level 7
20 Waterloo Street
GLASGOW G2 6DB

Please note that Clydesdale Bank receives a significant volume of partnership proposals and we are unable to accommodate them all, no matter how much we might wish to do so. In view of the volume, we also regret that we are unable to discuss proposals by telephone or to meet with organisations prior to receiving a written proposal.

 

For more information, click on Community