Edinburgh-based business Ambergreen has been shortlisted for the Better Society Awards for their support of Scottish art therapy charity the Teapot Trust.
Ambergreen, a digital marketing company, has helped the Teapot Trust to increase its online footprint, making it more visible to potential sponsors.
The Teapot Trust is a Scottish charity working across the UK, whose mission is to provide professional art therapy to children suffering from chronic illness. Through art therapy, children find an outlet for emotional release from the anxiety or anger that they find difficult to express otherwise.
The charity was founded by Dr Laura N Young MBE and Dr John Young in 2010 after seeing the gaps in the care of their daughter Verity, who suffered from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE Lupus) and also cancer before her tragic death at the age of eight, in 2009. Today, it is Scotland’s largest employer of clinically trained art therapists, with 17 art therapists running 22 projects in 11 towns and cities, from Inverness to the Borders, working in Children’s Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) wards and outpatients departments. It has also expanded into England, with two projects running for children at hospitals in London.
Ambergreen
In early 2015, the Teapot Trust was suffering from the same marketing problem that many small charities face – ‘preaching to the converted’. The vast majority of their existing promotional activity didn’t reach beyond their existing supporters and they were struggling to find new potential donators and fundraisers.
They approached Ambergreen with a brief to spread awareness of the charity to new audiences and help drive a 14% increase in financial donations from the public.
The primary objective of the campaign was to build brand awareness, getting people talking about Teapot Trust and increasing visits to the website.
Following the increase in brand awareness, the ultimate goal was to increase donations, both in terms of total amount donated and number of donations. This could also be aided by people volunteering to run a fundraising event on behalf of the Teapot Trust.
Between the periods June 2014-May 2015 and June 2015-May 2016, the Teapot Trust experienced a 357% increase in website traffic, a 374% increase in new users, and a significant increase in traffic from England and Wales.
In the period February to May in 2016, the Teapot Trust received 313% more in online donations than in the same period in 2015.
Ambergreen CEO Tino Nombro said, “The Teapot Trust is an amazing charity, but standing out as a charity and reaching out to new sponsors can be very challenging. When we first started offering support the Teapot Trust did not get many new sponsors or sales through the website. Today it is great to see so much support globally for such a great charity, and we are very proud to be part of the team.”
Dr Laura N Young MBE, the co-founder of the Teapot Trust who was recently named Scotswoman of the Year and invited to Downing Street by Theresa May, said, “The generous support of Ambergreen is vitally important to us at the Teapot Trust.
“When we founded the Teapot Trust, we knew that we wanted to help ill children and their families by making hospital visits less scary and more fun. What we didn’t have were detailed growth plans, marketing collateral and a digital strategy.
“{{We’ve gained so much from the partnership with Ambergeen, and thanks to them we are helping more children than ever before}}.”
Links:
The Teapot Trust: http://www.teapot-trust.org/
Ambergreen: https://ambergreeninternetmarketing.com/
ENDS
Interviews with Dr Laura Young MBE can be arranged.
For alternative press contact, please get in touch with George Murdoch at george@famouspublicity.com or 03333 442 341 or Tina Fotherby at tina@famouspublicity.com or 0333 442 341.
About The Teapot Trust
The Teapot Trust provides professional art therapy to children with chronic illnesses in medical settings, with a particular remit to help children with rheumatological conditions. The Trust’s art therapists work in outpatient clinics, hospital wards, mental health services and hospices.
Long term health problems can cause anxiety, anger or upset for children and their families and may be difficult to talk about. Art therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety in clinics and before blood tests as children don’t always have the words to describe how they feel. Making art often gives them the ability to share worries non-verbally, helping children gain confidence, feel more in control and cope with their condition.
All of the Trust’s art therapists are clinically qualified with postgraduate-level training and extensive experience of working with children. They are registered with the Health and Care Professions Council and the British Association of Art Therapists.
In July 2015 Dr Laura N Young received an honorary doctorate from the Queen Margaret University for her work in using art therapy to help children and young people cope with long-term medical conditions.
The Teapot Trust runs up to three art therapy projects a day and currently works alongside other medical professionals in the following locations:
RHSC (‘Sick Kids’), Edinburgh
RHC, Glasgow
Tayside Children’s Hospital (‘Ninewells’), Dundee
Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital
CHAS Rachel House Hospice, Kinross
Art workshops for TCT, SNAC, SPARN and others
Group work for CAMHS, Young Person’s Eating Disorders Unit, Edinburgh
Raigmore Hospital, Inverness
Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy
Borders General, Melrose
Chelsea and Westminster Hospitals, London
