10 Bucks charities share £100,000 in Angels Den

The charities were given the opportunity to present their mission, vision, and plans to five of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs, ‘the Angels’, at the event at Missenden Abbey yesterday (29/11)

The Angels invested £10,000 of their own money, which was matched by The Clare Foundation, the charity established by Dreams founder Mike Clare.

The organisations were then invited to present to the Angels in the "The "Den", with the event hosted by Bucks Radio presenter Nathan Cooper. Following the pitches, the "Angels" were then tasked with the difficult decision of allocating the funds to the charities which most impressed them with their innovative ideas, passion, and strategic approach to investing the funds for maximum impact.

Seven charities all took home £7,000, while Missenden Walled Garden was awarded £14,000. Inspire Bucks received £17,000, and the biggest pay-out was presented to One-Eighty, who scooped £20,000.

Here's Susie Beasant, CEO of One-Eighty, talking to Nathan and explaining what the charity does:

One-Eighty                                           - £20,000

Inspire Bucks                                       - £17,000

Missenden Walled Garden                   - £14,000

Connection Support                            - £7,000

Restore Hope                                      - £7,000

Florence Nightingale Hospice Trust    - £7,000

Tall Ships                                             - £7,000

Calibre Audio                                      - £7,000

Chiltern Music Therapy                       - £7,000

Chiltern Rangers                                  - £7,000

Mike Clare, founder of The Clare Foundation said:

‘We were overwhelmed by the success of the event which we hope will be the first of many. The charities presented us with some moving and inspirational stories and their passion and enthusiasm was undeniable, making the allocation decisions very challenging.

‘The Angels Den event is the first of its kind, and, we hope, the first of many. We had an overwhelming response and from 53 entries, the final 10 charities proved themselves worthy recipients.

‘We are very grateful to our Angels - George Anson, Simon Biltcliffe, Gary Grant and Matt Storey - for their generosity and very many congratulations to these very deserving charities.’

The Clare Foundation was established in 2009 with the aim of creating a brighter, more vibrant future for the people of Buckinghamshire. Its mission is to empower, uplift, and transform lives across the region. The Clare Foundation believes that every individual, every organisation, and every community, has the potential to make a difference, and is committed to making this vision a reality.