The event was the biggest ever this year and is, as always, a fantastic way to not only raise funds for worthy causes, but for families to enjoy a day out at this historic racecourse

We very much appreciate the support of Foresters for this unique event, both from a sponsorship viewpoint and for the fantastic Foresters members who help us out and raise additional funds on the day

The increased focus on pensions has increased consumer knowledge and interest on the subject. A great benefit arising from the new freedoms is that we are taking pension planning as a much more serious subject

Certainly, the new pension freedoms herald a new era of financial choice for people, but these findings show that for a significant number it is also creating uncertainty in planning their future finances and that a negative impact on charitable giving could be a worrying unwelcome side-effect

Giving time to charity has many benefits also, volunteering can allow people to get out in their community, meet neighbours and make friends. Best of all, it can give retirees the chance to gain more skills and opportunities to broaden their horizons with time they simply never had before

We are thrilled to see the difference that Foresters members, staff and suppliers can make to communities, families and individual children with their volunteer and fund raising activities

The Cash For Kids campaign is particularly important at a time when an estimated 4 million children in the UK live below the poverty line

The partnership between Foresters and Bauer Media Cash for Kids is a very special one. Mission Christmas 2014 was a best ever result supporting more than 314,000 children across the UK

... without the help of Foresters we are confident that we would not be in a position to help as many children

The consequences of not being prepared for a disaster can be devastating. That is why we have partnered with the British Red Cross to offer training and emergency kits to vulnerable families in communities across the UK

In the UK we are fortunate enough not to experience natural disasters and extreme weather on such a huge scale as other parts of the world, so we are proud of the work we are doing with the British Red Cross in order to make a difference to those who need help

The event is a fantastic way to not only raise funds for worthy causes, but for families to enjoy a day out at this historic racecourse and, together with all the other charities we support, enables us to help over half a million children a year

We are proud to be the main sponsor of the Mascot Gold Cup. This year the organisers are hoping to smash the record for the world’s largest mascot race and with the further support of our member volunteers, who are a great help with fundraising and organising on the day of the event, it looks like they will do it!

Our study shows that volunteering or support in non-financial ways still provides a benefit to both the company and the community

While Foresters do provide financial support to many charities nationally and internationally, they still also get involved in a “hands on” manner at a local level

We would recommend companies thinking about adopting a CSR strategy for 2015 to look beyond the simple donation model, as a volunteering and support based option has wide reaching positive impacts for the company, its staff, and the community

The Helen and Douglas House Santas on the Run has become a regular community event in Oxford. Not only is it a great way to help a very worthy charity, but it also makes for a fun family day out. Foresters members and suppliers also get involved in providing tremendous assistance

Helen and Douglas House make a huge difference to the children and families it supports, and Foresters are proud to be able to sponsor this event and contribute towards the fantastic amounts raised for the hospice

We are delighted to once again be supporting the Cash For Kids Mission Christmas appeal – it is a truly worthwhile cause that makes such a difference to the lives of children and young people

Many of us are unaware that extreme poverty still does exist here in the UK and that there are a huge number of children and young adults who are disabled, disadvantaged or suffering from abuse or neglect

Christmas is traditionally meant to be a happy, loving time of year, and the Mission Christmas Appeal makes a real difference to those children who are suffering

We are very proud of our partnership with Foresters which over the course of the last 5 years has helped us grow our appeal by 217% reaching more children than ever before

The Big City Sleep event was a fantastic way to raise awareness of the challenges faced by children worldwide sleeping on the streets

Many of us take comfort in the access to the outside world a mobile phone provides us with, and in asking participants to not use their devices for just one hour they were able to understand on a much deeper level the true isolation street children feel and the challenges they face

Foresters ethos is to be a socially responsible organisation that enriches the lives of our members, their families and their communities

We are thrilled to win this Award as it reaffirms our business’ commitment to our local community. It also shows us that the community have seen what we are doing and we look forward to being a part of it for a long time to come

It is clear that the use of digital devices may well be encroaching on family time. This is a worrying, anti-social trend, affecting our relationships with those we care about and robbing children of the chance to develop social skills

Certainly in the UK, we appear to be a nation of digital addicts

Over the last 25 years, the UK Foresters Scholarship Programme has been a great success, with applicants year on year establishing a phenomenal commitment to their academic studies and volunteering in their communities

With the cost of further education continuing to rise in the UK, it’s great that Foresters can give students some financial strength in achieving their education goals

Being a full-time student imposes a great financial burden … this scholarship will ease a great deal of pressure and has also given me motivation to succeed

This scholarship will be a huge financial help. It will definitely make studying easier and more accessible

The study highlights just how anti-social we are becoming, preferring to interact with our gadgets rather than our friends and families

The younger generation are losing out on basic social skills

Foresters are encouraging individuals and families to pledge to a Tech Timeout, enabling them to take a short break from technology and improve the quality of the time they spend together

The ethos of the campaign, which has been running in the UK since last September and has attracted over 33,000 pledges, is that we all need to disconnect to reconnect

Investing in the community is an important part of who we are. We decided to celebrate our 140th milestone locally by giving something back to the children in the Bromley area by providing financial support to schools to purchase books

Donating books also fits in perfectly with Foresters Tech Timeout initiative. As our use of technology increases we could all become ‘digital addicts’ - especially children - and so we are encouraging families to find a balanced approach to using technology by taking a daily break and turning off all electronic devices for at least one hour a day

Our 140 celebrations are set to continue throughout the year. We plan to dovetail our member led community projects in the UK with our milestone celebrations and hope to achieve 140 community projects throughout 2014

We are urging families to make the effort to spend some quality time together this Father’s Day, whether it is walking the dog, playing a game of cards, or cooking Dad’s favourite meal – anything as long as it’s technology-free

The Tech Timeout challenge was launched to help families remember what’s important, because, after all, the best family memories are created when we have shared experiences. Father’s Day is a perfect time to start creating new memories

Foresters are proud to be able to sponsor the Mascot Gold Cup and provide further support through our member volunteers, who are a great help with fundraising and organising on the day of the event

We are very much looking forward to the race in 2014 and seeing the mascots battle it out in a bid to win the race and help raise much-needed funds for Sue Ryder and the multiple other charities the race support

Growing numbers of adults and children alike are at risk of becoming ‘digital addicts’, dedicating so much time to technology they are neglecting to spend enough time socialising beyond the screen

Technology has brought a great many improvements to our lives, and has undoubtedly become an important part of family life. However, our research suggests that the average family will only spend 4.4 hours in a weekend socialising together without digital devices, which can have a real affect on the family dynamic as well as children’s development

We urge people to sign up to the Tech Timeout pledge, even just for one week, to see the difference it makes. There are so many more things they could be doing from playing cards and board games, to gardening or even having a day out at the park with a picnic and games

The Helen and Douglas House Santas on the Run is a great event to have been able to be a part of for the past four years and with more Santas hitting the streets than ever, 2013 was no exception

Foresters are proud to be able to sponsor this event and contribute towards the fantastic amounts raised for the hospice

We are thrilled to have hit our highest amount raised from the Santas on the Run in 2013. It was wonderful to see so many people braving a cold winter’s morning to raise money for the charity and help support over 300 families in our catchments area

It is great to see a graduate be able to leave university and find employment in a role which enables her to contribute towards society, help the community and work for such a wonderful charity. The end result will be better support for hundreds of children and families.