Hundreds of hours of volunteer work have been carried out by members of Bristol Junior Chamber this summer in a drive to support local charities.
The BJC Big Help Out, introduced this year by the Chamber’s president Emma Carter, helped link up the organisation’s membership of young professionals with a range of local and national good causes – including environmental, physical and mental wellbeing, emergency services and cancer charities. 
In total, almost 40 BJC members took part in the scheme, which ran throughout June, to supporting the charities in their day-to-day work as well as at a number of public events.
Emma, pictured, said: “Supporting our local community is at the very heart of what the Chamber was created to do and it is important to us that our incredible charity sector gets the support it deserves.
“I am absolutely delighted that we have had such positive engagement from our many volunteers in working with these fantastic causes and look forward to working with them further in the future.”
BJC chair of charity Danielle Argent added: “The Big Help Out might have taken place in June but our goal has always been to help inspire our members to create a longer-term bond with these wonderful organisations that do so much in and around Bristol.
“It is great to hear from many of our volunteers that they intend on offering more time to these charities in the coming weeks and months.”
The charities supported through the BJC Big Help Out were:
- Avon Needs Trees
- Cancer Research UK
- Empire Fighting Chance
- FareShare
- Great Western Air Ambulance Charity
- Gympanzees
- InHope
- Penny Brohn
The BJC was founded in 1948 to promote trade, commerce and industry in the city and provide its members with professional networking and skills development opportunities.
Since then it has been involved in a number of significant projects in Bristol, including founding the world-renowned Bristol International Balloon Fiesta in 1978 and the Bristol Heritage Walk in 1984.
Today, it has a membership of more than 150 young professionals aged under 40 spanning a wide range of industries, including financial services, law, charity, marketing and communications and engineering – with many of its thousands of alumni now leading figures across the city.
Pictured below: BJC members volunteering as part of a wider group with charity Penny Brohn during the Big Help Out
