From cricket to Christmas: community matters

It started with a simple question: What if we didn’t just give money this Christmas, but gave our time instead?

In 2019, Jeffrey Ball, a wealth manager for RBC Brewin Dolphin in Newcastle, jotted down an idea on a napkin. By 2025, his ‘12 Days of Christmas’ initiative had become a lifeline for local charities – and an empowering opportunity for his colleagues to give back to their community.

Now largely run by his colleague Jamie Law, the scheme is simple but effective: volunteers sign up to provide a day (or more) of support to 12 local charities during December. This is a frantic time of year for charities: they’re not only aiming to capitalise on the annual surge of festive generosity from the public but also, in many cases, catering for an increased demand for their help.

So those extra RBC Brewin Dolphin hands – whether serving meals to the homeless at the local People’s Kitchen, picking and packing food parcels for FareShare North East or doing festive decorating for The Children’s Foundation – are much appreciated. 

“I see it as a gateway to bursting our employees’ bubbles,” says Ball. “Most of us in the Newcastle office live in a relatively privileged world, and this gets colleagues out into the wider community, where it’s a very different story for many of the people they’re working to support.

“At FareShare North East, for instance, they’re processing literally tons of food for food parcels, and getting to chat to the drivers, packers and warehouse managers in the process. It can be quite an eye-opener – it really brings home to them the sheer scale of the demand for food banks, and the extent to which so many local people rely on them.” This Christmas, around 100 of the 300 Newcastle office staff took part in 16 activities for the 12 Days event; some will go on to support the charity they worked with on a more ongoing basis through RBC, by volunteering, fundraising or donating regularly.

Up the Toon: Volunteers at the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter.

More than money

The project is part of our broad commitment to giving back to society and supporting the communities in which we live, work and thrive.

Such schemes have become increasingly embedded in RBC’s corporate life: in the past year our people have been involved with charitable and community enterprises nationwide, raising thousands of pounds and giving thousands of volunteer hours to good causes.

We focus on initiatives that align with RBC’s ‘three pillars’ for positive change –supporting the transition to a net-zero economy, equipping people with the skills for a thriving future, or driving more inclusive opportunities for prosperity.

When cricket became a classroom

While Christmas is an obvious time for community-focused opportunities, our support for a vibrant and healthy society is year round.

“The Chance to Shine partnership was launched last April, and we saw national take-up as staff gave their time to help youngsters – especially girls – in underserved communities build life skills through cricket-focused activities,” says Richard Douglas, RBC Wealth Management’s Director of Brand and Citizenship.

Staff were on hand to help out at the world’s biggest cricket lesson, when 943 children from 35 schools from across the country came to learn at the home of the game, Lord’s Cricket Ground, and were joined by England cricketing star and RBC Wealth Management ambassador, Joe Root.

Volunteers ahead of the ‘world’s biggest cricket lesson’.

RBC volunteers also took part in innovative skills-sharing days, working with groups of students from girls’ schools who had already had cricket coaching through Chance to Shine’s work.

In the mornings, volunteers were put through their paces in cricket training sessions organised and run by the girls; in the afternoons the roles were reversed as the girls teamed up to make Dragon’s Den-type project pitches to key staff.

As Douglas observes: “It’s a great way for the girls to build confidence and leadership skills – and the volunteers really see the difference the sessions make.”

Skills-sharing days sparked mutual growth as volunteers and students exchanged expertise.

A race where every step tells a story

Each autumn in London, staff can support vital causes by joining the RBC Race for the Kids. This family-friendly fun run is part of RBC’s global annual event, raising funds to transform young lives across the UK through children’s charities. Worldwide, RBC Race for the Kids events have fundraised over CA$100 million to-date!

The London event is in support of Great Ormond Street Hospital, and it’s a popular one with staff: almost 2,000 of the 10,000 runners who turned out in 2025 were either RBC employees or their friends and relatives. And 2025 also saw the return of RBC Race for the Kids Jersey after a four-year absence, fundraising for the Jersey Child Care Trust.

Colleagues, family and friends at RBC Race for the Kids London.

We’ve also continued our partnership with The Old Vic theatre in London for the Take the Lead educational programme. It’s another initiative designed to equip young people entering adulthood with the confidence, conversational skills and capacity to effectively convey their strengths and abilities in today’s testing jobs market – but this time through the power of the arts.

Now in its seventh year, Take the Lead aims to empower young people from state schools across the country through a series of drama workshops, tackling everything from communication and self-belief to teamwork and problem-solving.

RBC volunteers work alongside the Take the Lead team in the workshops, sharing their insights and career experience with students – and often learning a thing or two themselves. In 2025, 684 students from 32 schools took part, including mock interview sessions at RBC’s London headquarters.  

Full steam ahead in 2026

This year isn’t just about maintaining momentum – it’s about accelerating impact and expanding opportunities for our staff to volunteer. Across Europe, we’re rallying behind three dynamic charities whose missions align with our pillars for change:

• Trees for Cities: Greening urban spaces, one community at a time.
• Ronald McDonald House: Offering vital support to families in need.
• The King’s Trust: Empowering young people to build brighter futures.

We’re also gearing up for landmark celebrations: both The King’s Trust and our longtime partner SportsAid mark their 50^th anniversaries! After over 12 years with SportsAid, we’ve raised more than £1 million to bridge critical funding gaps for the next crop of UK sports stars – proving that partnership can unlock untapped potential.

The progress we’ve made in our communities is just the starting line. With the energy of our staff and our collective ambition, we’re on a mission to drive even greater change in the communities where we live and work. Watch this space!