Ellis Wines celebrates more than 10 years of supporting Shooting Star
For more than 10 years, independent family-owned wine business Ellis Wines has been proudly supporting Shooting Star, helping to raise vital funds and awareness through an inspiring mix of fundraising, volunteering and corporate engagement.
Ellis Wines has built a longstanding partnership that continues to go from strength to strength. We spoke to Holly Ellis-Lake, People & Culture Manager at Ellis Wines, about what the partnership means to the business, some memorable fundraising moments, and what’s planned next.
1. What made Ellis Wines start supporting Shooting Star and what have you enjoyed most about the partnership?
Our partnership with Shooting Star began over 10 years ago, thanks to our colleague Louise, who had long been a supporter of the charity and recommended that Ellis Wines partner with them. Her enthusiasm introduced the charity to the wider company, and the relationship has continued to grow from there. What we’ve enjoyed most is how the partnership has developed over the years. There are so many different ways for our colleagues to get involved, from fundraising challenges and volunteering days to attending talks and breakfast meetings where we can learn more about the charity’s work. It means people from right across the business can take part in a way that suits them.
2. Tell us about some of the activities you’ve taken part in over the years – any funny or surprising moments?
We’ve taken part in a real mix of challenges over the years. Most recently, colleagues from different departments pulled on their football boots and formed our very own team, Vintners United, to compete and fundraise in Shooting Star’s Corporate Cup football tournament. There may have been varying levels of footballing experience, but there was certainly no shortage of enthusiasm!
Last year, another group walked 10km across some of London’s most iconic bridges as part of the Thames Bridges Trek, while one particularly brave colleague chose a rather different challenge and completed a skydive. From football pitches and London bridges to jumping out of a plane, our fundraising has certainly taken us to some unexpected places!
3. Do you have any exciting fundraising plans coming up?
Our next big challenge is this year’s Thames Bridges Trek, and a new Ellis Wines team is already gearing up to walk 10km across London. Alongside the larger events, some of our most popular fundraisers happen back at Ellis Wines. A particular favourite is organised by our Buying team, who put together special mixed cases of wine for colleagues to purchase, with all the proceeds going to Shooting Star. It’s a simple idea but, unsurprisingly, a mystery case of wine always generates plenty of interest!
4. What advice would you give to other businesses looking to get more involved or make more of an impact?
Choose a cause that your people can genuinely connect with and give them different ways to get involved. Not everyone wants to jump out of a plane or join a football team, but they may be keen to volunteer, attend an event or support a smaller workplace fundraiser. We’ve also found that hearing directly from the Shooting Star team and spending time at the hospice have helped colleagues understand where their support is going. That connection makes the fundraising feel much more meaningful and encourages people to stay involved.
5. What would your dream fundraising event be if there were no constraints?
It would have to involve wine! If there really were no constraints, we’d take over one of London’s most iconic venues for a full day and bring together producers from around the world for a huge, one-off wine festival in aid of Shooting Star.
Different spaces could transport guests to wine regions across the world, with winemaker-led tastings, masterclasses, food pairings created by brilliant chefs, live music and a competitive blind-tasting challenge. We’d finish with an auction featuring rare bottles, private dinners hosted by winemakers and unforgettable vineyard trips, that normally wouldn’t be available.
We’d invite our customers, suppliers and colleagues and hope to create a spectacular celebration of the wine community that people would be talking about for a long time afterwards!
6. Why do you continue to fundraise and support Shooting Star? What does the charity mean to you?
The more we learn about Shooting Star’s work, the more motivated we are to continue supporting it. Attending talks, meeting members of the charity’s team and volunteering at the hospice have helped us gain a much better understanding of what that support means to children and their families. After more than 10 years, Shooting Star is a charity that has become very important to Ellis Wines. We know that consistent support matters, and seeing colleagues continue to give their time, energy and enthusiasm reminds us why the partnership has lasted for so long. We’re already looking ahead to next January, when we’ll be supporting Shooting Star’s Christmas tree collection for the third year running, with two Ellis Wines vans and four team members getting stuck in!
Interested in getting your company involved with Shooting Star? Please visit our corporate volunteering page.
