West Midlands charities awarded £15,000 from The Cadbury Foundation

West Midlands charities awarded £15,000 from The Cadbury Foundation

The invaluable work of three local charities has been given a major boost, thanks to three £5,000 donations from The Cadbury Foundation, made possible by the support of Mondelez International employees in the West Midlands.

Abbie’s Army, Aston Villa Foundation and Amy and Friends were selected by employees at Mondelez International’s Bournville and Minworth sites, as part of The Cadbury Foundation’s annual ‘Your Charity, Your Choice’ programme.

Now in its fourteenth year, the initiative is designed to give Mondelez International employees across the UK&I the chance to give back to the communities the company operates in, inviting colleagues to put forward nominations of charities or projects that are close to their heart.

The charities, voted for by colleagues, are then selected to receive a generous grant from The Cadbury Foundation, a charitable trust set-up in recognition of company founders, George and Richard Cadbury and their investment in the welfare of their employees and wider communities.

Last year saw The Cadbury Foundation celebrate its 90th anniversary, with more than £1 million donated to support local communities since the Your Charity Your Choice programme began.

Gisela Clamens and Irene Briones, employees at Mondelez International’s Bournville site, nominated Abbie’s Army to receive a £5,000 grant, helping raise awareness for DIPG, a rare and fatal childhood brain cancer. Michael Huggins, Cooking Operations Coordinator also from the Bournville site nominated Aston Villa Foundation, which delivers the social responsibility work of Aston Villa Football Club.

Amy and Friends was also among the charities to receive £5,000 from the Cadbury Foundation, chosen by Jeff Bolding, Shift co-ordinator at Mondelez International’s Minworth site.

Commenting on the donation, Gisela said: This cause is deeply personal to our family. In 2024, we lost our beautiful seven years old daughter Emma to DIPG after a nine-month battle. No family should ever have to endure the heartache of watching their child face this devastating disease.

"That's why we are passionate advocates for Abbie's Army, who do such incredible work supporting young people and their families affected by DIPG. I know this generous grant will make a real and meaningful difference.

"I'm so grateful for my colleagues' support my nomination and truly moved that this donation will help the charity continue its vital work - providing support to children and families affected by DIPG, funding research and raising awareness. Our hope is that, together, we can help find a cure and give hope to children and families facing this diagnosis in the future."

Amanda Mifsud MBE, Founder and Trustee of Abbie’s Army, said: “We are extremely grateful to The Cadbury Foundation for this significant donation, which will make a real difference to the families we support.

“At Abbie’s Army, we believe all families facing the devasting diagnosis of DIPG deserve access to high-quality support as they navigate the hardest times, and we work to raise awareness around the rare cancer, funding research to one day find a cure, and thanks to this grant, we can keep making that possible.”

As part of the foundation’s ‘Your Charity, Your Choice’ scheme, a total of £90,000 was donated to charities across the UK&I last year, continuing this ethos to support community programmes and charity partners with a focus on wellbeing, skills and passions of colleagues at Mondelez International sites nationwide.

Kelly Farrell, Community Affairs Manager at Mondelez International, added: “Our ‘Your Charity Your Choice’ scheme was set up to support important causes and charities close to our employees’ hearts, and we’re incredibly proud that for fourteen years, the programme has done exactly that.

“Since we launched Your Charity, Your Choice, The Cadbury Foundation has awarded more than £1 million to support the vital work of hundreds of charities and community programmes across the UK&I, which have been hand-selected by local employees.”

“We’re thrilled that £90,000 was donated last year, as The Cadbury Foundation celebrated its 90th anniversary and we’re delighted that, with the foundation’s support, Abbie’s Army, Aston Villa Foundation and Amy and Friends can continue delivering their vital services in their respective communities.

For more information on The Cadbury Foundation, visit www.cadbury.co.uk/cadbury-foundation.