Desert Island Lift: Disability charity The Oyster Project form first Community Partnership following a generous donation from Oakley Property
The Oyster Project have recently teamed up with Oakley Property to form their first Community Partnership, following a donation from the Lewes and Brighton based Property Agents.
The award-winning UK disability charity will be working with Oakley Property throughout the year to promote each other in a Community Partnership, which will help to raise the profile of fundraising events. Based in Lewes, in the atmospheric Westgate Chapel, The Oyster Project encourages volunteering in the community. The project engages groups of disabled, elderly and young people in creative and meaningful ways through drama, dance, film and radio. The charity also offers practical help in the form of their Crises Food Aid work.
Unusually, the partnership was agreed following a Desert Island Disks invite. Soraya Cotwal, Director at Radio Lewes and volunteer and fundraiser for The Oyster Project invited long term friend and Executive Director of Oakley Property Chris Oakley to contribute to her community radio show. Upon learning more about the charity, Chris was so impressed that he made a generous donation to support the annual running costs of The Oyster Project.
The project engages groups of disabled, elderly and young people in creative and meaningful ways
David Beaken, Director at Oakley Property’s Lewes branch commented, “Both Chris and I are very aware that as a local business it is the community that helps us thrive. We have been looking for opportunities to give back to Lewes and have known about The Oyster Project for some time. The work that Soraya and her team do there is fantastic. I am really excited to have grown our working relationship, as I’m a local musician so The Oyster Project is close to my heart. I am already debating in my head what my Desert Island Disks will be.”
Soraya Cotwal mentions that, “We are delighted to be working with Oakley on our first Community Partnership, which will allow us both to raise our respective profiles of the work we do separately and together. Oakley’s generous donation to The Oyster Project will help in allowing the vital and important work we do to continue and for the charity to thrive in what is a challenging time for organisations likes ours. We look forward to creating and developing this exciting Community Partnership with Oakley in the coming year.”
