Building brighter futures: Our Cambridge team and The Red Hen Project

At the heart of Affinia is a strong commitment to giving back to the communities in which we live and work.

One organisation that truly embodies the values we care most about is The Red Hen Project, a Cambridge-based charity dedicated to supporting children, families and communities to thrive. Through our Cambridge office, we are incredibly proud to support The Red Hen Project and the life-changing work they do, and even prouder to stand alongside them as they continue to make a real difference. 

Who are The Red Hen Project? 

The Red Hen Project’s vision is simple yet powerful: a welcoming community where families feel empowered to raise happy, healthy and independent children, who in turn grow up able to live life to the full. 

Working with children up to the age of 12, their families and local communities across Cambridge, The Red Hen Project focuses its support on those who may be experiencing challenges in their lives. Their work is rooted in strengthening wellbeing, building confident parenting, and fostering positive, cooperative relationships between families, schools and other local services.

Their experienced and highly skilled family workers provide: 

• One-to-one, whole-family support, helping families overcome challenges, improve relationships and enhance overall wellbeing.
  
• Positive experiences and group activities, including term-time drop-ins, family groups, and school holiday activities.
   
• Opportunities for parents and carers to actively engage with and contribute to their local community.

This support takes place in the home, at school and within the community, ensuring families feel supported where it matters most.

The Red Hen Project also works closely with primary schools, health partners and housing services, helping to remove barriers to learning and acting as a vital link between home and school.

How our Cambridge office supports The Red Hen Project: Our relationship with The Red Hen Project began in 2023 through our client, Neil Bharadwa from The Cambridge Fruit Company, who also supplies fruit to our Cambridge office. Together, we donated Easter eggs for the families supported by the charity, marking the beginning of a meaningful and ongoing partnership.

Since then, we have continued to support The Red Hen Project wherever we can. In 2024, we were delighted to sponsor the ice cream van at their Family Fun Day, helping to create a memorable and enjoyable event for the families they support. We organised a bake sale in our office, raising £240 in donations for the charity.

We were also proud to support The Red Hen Project’s Big Give Christmas Challenge, a national fundraising campaign where donations are doubled at no extra cost to the donor. From 2nd to 9th December 2025, we encouraged our colleagues and social media followers to get involved, spreading the word and donating through the campaign link. Thanks to the generosity of our team, supporters and the wider community, the campaign surpassed its £30,000 target, raising a fantastic £32,712 in total.

Beyond fundraising, we have built a strong and meaningful relationship with The Red Hen Project. When we held our own summer fete for our team and their families, Red Hen kindly loaned us outdoor games at short notice when we found ourselves in need of activities, which proved very popular on the day. We also regularly welcome The Red Hen Project to events held at our Cambridge office, providing opportunities to network and strengthen connections within the wider community.

Looking ahead: 

Looking ahead, our support for The Red Hen Project doesn’t stop here. Through ongoing donations, promotion of their initiatives, and continued collaboration, we remain committed to supporting a charity that aligns so closely with our values and commitment to the local community.

We are currently supporting The Red Hen Project’s Teddy Bear Amnesty, which encourages donations of cuddly toys that are either new or in very good condition for the families they support. We are encouraging our team to get involved by donating teddy bears and helping to make a difference to local children and families.

We can’t wait to see the amazing things The Red Hen Project goes on to achieve in the years ahead, and we look forward to continuing to support them however we can. This partnership is one that truly is very close to our hearts.