Giving back
As a major employer, we encourage our workforce to use their skills and time to give something back to the communities where they live and work
Our people are enthusiastic volunteers and fundraisers. Through events such as cake sales and tuckshops, sponsoring a guide dog, or creating a giant poppy in the courtyard of our Headquarters, we have raised in excess of £1,400,000 for over 100 different charities.
Charities
People at GCHQ support a wide range of local, national and international charities.
The Royal British Legion is one of the key organisations we raise money for. GCHQ was originally formed to support the military, so our support for RBL resonates with our mission to this day. Whilst our fundraising for the RBL continues throughout the year we have been privileged to be involved in two County launches for RBL's annual fundraising campaigns.
Another charity which resonates with us is Heads Together which provides help to people with mental health challenges. We have a proud history of supporting individuals who think differently and solving seemingly impossible problems has underpinned our work over the past century. To date over £500,000 has been raised through the sale of the trio of GCHQ Puzzle Books compiled by our expert puzzle team, with all proceeds going to Heads Together and The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
We support charities in other ways too. Through our regular ‘Give Back’ events, our people have mentored 50 local charities, providing advice on topics such as social media, fundraising, website design, cyber security and much more. We also support local charity projects such as Hamper Scamper in Gloucestershire which is run by CCP (Caring for Communities and People) to provide food and gifts for vulnerable people at Christmas, as well as the James Hopkins Trust Easter Egg appeal.
Volunteering
Volunteering is a great way for people to gain new skills and staff are actively encouraged to use their six days of volunteering leave per year to undertake a wide variety of voluntary activities in the community, from helping in local schools to transforming gardens at hospices.
We also run Community Days to give staff the chance to promote charities and volunteering opportunities amongst their colleagues. On these days our buildings are abuzz with a wide variety of stands, from sponsoring Guide Dog puppies and St John's Ambulance demos to Police Special Constables and Blood Bikes.