WILTSHIRE BUSINESS SHORTLISTED … as charity champions. Swindon-based financial planning business, Southby & Co Financial Planning are on the shortlist! Which list? Charity Champions of the Year in the Money Marketing Awards 2025 list.
Dave Southby and the team at Southby and Co. Financial Planning, specialise in helping individuals, families and small business owners manage their wealth in an effective manner. In particular in the Swindon and North Wiltshire areas.
They are one of five other business in the category. The Charity Champion charity goes to businesses who push the awareness of and, in particular, fundraise for charities.
‘Being shortlisted for the Money Marketing Community Champion award means so much to me and the team,’ said Dave Southby. Dave is the founder of Southby and Co Financial Planning, based in Wroughton near Swindon.
‘One of our values to is support our local community & charity partners. So getting national recognition for the work, within our industry, is incredible.’
WILTSHIRE BUSINESS SHORTLISTED … Dave Southby
Fab fundraising efforts
The fundraising efforts of Southby & Co include being proud supporters of Wroughton Youth FC and sponsors of Wroughton Tornados and Wroughton Witches. In 2025, they continue their support for the Kelly Foundation. That was their 2024 Charity of the Year. And also supporting local charity CALM (Children’s Cancer & Leukaemia Movement), as well as the Swindon Toy Appeal for Christmas 2025. Not forgetting the Avon Needs Trees project. It aims to plant permanent woodland at various sites across the South West.
‘Being a supporter of local charities is a huge part of our business. For us, it’s about engaging with our community and making life easier for those in need and improving the place in which we live. To receive this nomination in this category is such a boost. I’m so glad the Money Marketing Awards is putting charity work at the heart of our industry. I trust this will encourage other companies to do the same.’
There are eleven categories in the advisor awards section of the Money Marketing Awards. With Charity Champion of the Year featuring within the 2025 line-up.
Tom Browne, editor of Money Marketing, said ‘We’re excited to welcome the Southby & Co Financial Planning team to the Money Marketing Awards 2025. We can’t wait to celebrate the businesses nominated and see who wins!’
Celebrating businesses in the sector, bringing hundreds of leading advisors and providers providing opportunities to build new connections, network and demonstrate commitment to the industry.
The awards ceremony will be at the Londoner Hotel on Thursday 11th September in the centre of London’s West End theatre district. Southby & Co Financial Planning will be travelling to the capital to see if they’ll be lifting this Charity Champion of the Year trophy.
Swindon Signal Festival 2025 – runs from July 24th to August the 2nd at various locations. If you’ve a young person aged 11 – 25 in your family then do check this out.
‘Signal aims to build creativity in Swindon and give young people the necessary skills and resources. We want young artists and enthusiasts to feel they can succeed artistically in their hometown and flourish creatively. Our programme is delivered by a wide range of professional artists, giving you a chance to try new art forms, discover your talents and develop your existing skills. Beginners and experienced all welcome!’
About the festival
The founders of Signal are six young producers. They’re all artists who grew up in, and make work in, Swindon.
The festival is a dynamic mix of performance, participation, professional development and pop-up surprises. It came about as a response to a series of consultations with Swindon’s young people to design and deliver what they feel their town needs.
In the words of Madame Mayor, Cllr Fay Howard, present at today’s launch: ‘Hearing about the impressive statistics from last year’s inaugural festival just solidified how vital and impactful this event is. The Signal Festival aims to build creativity and celebrate everything wonderful about our town, and what’s not to love about that?!’
Opportunity knocks
Booking for the events begins on June 23rd. Many events are free. And where’s there’s a charge it’s a mere £2 to help cover costs. This is a truly brilliant set of opportunities for Swindon’s young people.
Events programme – Swindon Signal Festival 2025The mayor and event producers
Inspiring
To return to the festival website. ‘It’s our firm belief that any young person interested in art, is as capable of artistic achievement as anybody else. The exhibitions and showcases we include in our programme we made with the aim of inspiring budding artists and individuals wanting to pursue art as a future career.
… Our team of young producers hope that the creation of the festival will give others hope that they can do anything they put their minds to.’
Big Give for Big Breakfast. A Swindon breakfast charity is launching an appeal to help fund its essential service to homeless and hungry people in the town. Big Breakfast Plus, which operates seven days a week from the Pilgrim Centre in Regent Street, has teamed up with the platform Big Give. It match-funds donations during a fundraising campaign.
Big Give funders include philanthropists, foundations and corporates. Any money pledged to Big Breakfast Plus during the campaign, the Big Give will match.
The charity hopes to raise £5,000, which is then doubled to £10,000.
Big Give for Big Breakfast – some of the volunteers at the Big Breakfast Swindon
Big Breakfast Plus trustee, Charlotte Mannion, said: ‘The problem of homelessness is acute in Swindon. And with increasing food and energy costs more people are living in poverty. Homelessness and food poverty have severe affects on physical and mental health. All of which makes it more difficult to get and sustain employment and so break the cycle of hardship. This situation has a huge societal impact on health, welfare and emergency services.
Big Breakfast Plus is the only organisation in Swindon which provides a free cooked breakfast. We welcome the homeless and those in distress. Whether it’s through addiction, health or other need. Our service is also a chance to socialise in a warm place. By satisfying the basic need of hunger and society, our guests are better prepared for their day.
‘We urge people to support our Big Give campaign, remembering that every pound they can spare will be match-funded.’
Swindon’s Scintillating Summer of Art. The art scene in Swindon goes from strength to strength each year. And 2025 looks like being even better. Regular art followers will already know about Swindon Open Studios. This is where artists across Swindon open their studio doors and invite the public to see what goes on behind the scenes in September. This year they’ve broken out of their studios, spare rooms and sheds a little earlier. All to take part in Swindon Arts Fringe (SWAF) with a curated exhibition entitled ‘I SOS.’
Artists, both past and present, have been invited to display a piece of work they’ve exhibited over the past 20+ years to celebrate the history of SOS. Showcasing 31 artists, the exhibition tells the fascinating story of this popular community art event over the years.
On display will be a variety of work. It’ll range from artists taking part in their first Open Studios exhibition this September, to a mosaic sculpture by Lynette Thomas. It featured on the cover of a brochure for an open studios event over 20 years ago.
Mixed media artist Sue Ash is a regular participant of SOS. When asked why she was taking part, she said, ‘As a visitor, I love SOS as it allows me to discover a wide spectrum of artists working across many different media. As a participant, I love the community it has created, filled with mutual respect and support.’
Swindon’s Scintillating Summer of Art – SOS Leaflet cover 2003
Poetry Swindon
Poetry Swindonhave teamed up with Swindon Open Studios to run a writing competition with a £50 prize voucher. The theme is to write about Art in Swindon. Sophie Boyce, who runs Poetry Swindon, said, ‘Entry to the competition is free. And we’re hoping to attract a wide range of writers by having prose, poetry and under 15s sections. Poetry Swindon is a friendly group, which meets on the first Wednesday of the month at Lower Shaw Farm.’
Some of the entries will go on display in the exhibition. There’ll be an announcement of the winner at an event at the Bakers Cafe at 2pm on Saturday, 28th June 2025. You’ll find full details of the competition on the Poetry Swindon website.
11 The Carriage Works London Street, SN1 5DG, from 11 am to 5:30 pm daily from Monday, 16th to Sunday, 29th of June 2025, inclusive.
There are four other exhibitions at the venue, covering a variety of topics from Fungi to Broken Britain. It’s free to enter and offers an insight into some of the inspiring visual arts that one can see in and around Swindon this summer.
Kat Morgan – Orange tree in a terracotta potLynette Thomas mosaicSteven LIght SLART_Lost Connection Sue Ash – Elemental
Mind Your Step – and there’s an intentional pun there. Because Barbara Leatham, founder of Barbara Leatham Photography and ‘The Business Lens’, has launched a monthly photography walking event. It’s aim, networking aside, to raise money for Wiltshire Mind.
Barbara came up with the idea of a monthly walking activity for businesses and business owners across Wiltshire to support mental wellbeing. And also to form a ‘visual’ eye to develop photography skills using their smartphones, tablets or cameras.
“’Steps With Purpose’ is my way to support people one mindful step at a time,” said Barbara who lives in Tilshead near Devizes.
It”ll get business people out of their workspace. Then they’ll get time outside, be with like-minded people, and, I trust, learn something new. I want them to start to see the visual potential in the everyday environment. Whether that’s a full vista or a small detail, everything has the possibility to tell a story.’
Mind Your Step – One of Barbara Leatham’s group walks
Opportunity knocks
Being business owners, it’s also an excellent opportunity to do a little networking. And find support from people who are on a similar journey.’
Barbara is encouraging participants to bring a camera or smartphone to join Barbara on her Steps with Purpose event.
‘When taking part, I’ll advise how to take photographs for people’s businesses. It’ll produce a personal gallery of images that they can use for their work, social media, marketing or blogging. It’s invaluable.
This project will raise money for Wiltshire Mind. That’s a local mental health charity which supports people experiencing distress, anxiety and other mental health issues throughout Wiltshire. It provides one-to-one counselling to anyone aged over eleven years old.
Wiltshire Mind
Paul Mills, Chief Executive Officer of Wiltshire Mind, commented on Barbara’s new project.
‘Wiltshire Mind is an independent mental health and wellbeing charity, offering support across our county. We rely on our fantastic community to raise funds for us, enabling us to provide counselling and support groups to adults and young people. Connecting with nature is a key step to improved wellbeing. And Barbara’s ‘Steps with Purpose’ project will not only provide important wellbeing support but also a crucial fundraising stream. Thus ensuring more people can benefit from mental health and wellbeing support.’
These monthly events will be happening across Wiltshire. They’ll take place on Tuesdays and alternate between morning and afternoon excursions.
‘I love teaching, so helping another person and helping raise money for a local charity is brilliant,’ commented Barbara. ‘It won’t matter if I have one person come or twenty, if I can help someone as well as do what I love and pay it forward, it will be soup for the soul for me.’
The first is Tuesday 17th June from 10am to 12-noon at Coate Water Country Park, Swindon.
To partake in the event, Barbara encourages each participant to bring a £10 donation every event for Wiltshire Minds.
Further dates
Tuesday 15th July, 1pm to 3pm in Devizes, Wiltshire.
Tuesday 16th September, 10am to 12-noon at Savernake Forest.
