As a company that has been at the heart of our region since 1904, we’re committed to supporting the communities we serve through a number of initiatives. These include bi-monthly community grants, our KCOM Kits initiative where we donate full football team kits to local youth teams, supporting local careers and online safety events.

Many of the urban areas we serve are among the most deprived in the UK. Hull itself is one of the top four most deprived districts in England with nearly 30% of children living in low-income families. The effects of the Covid pandemic have also intensified the challenges facing the region with the use of foodbanks, poverty, isolation, and social exclusion all increasing.

With all this in mind, in 2021 we launched our Christmas Wishlist campaign, to try and end what had been a grim 12 months with an intensive, month-long, initiative to help at least one different charity or community group every day during December.

A big part of this campaign was to give volunteer time across the month. This provided an opportunity for our staff to use their volunteer days at a time when it was needed the most and bring some Christmas cheer to the community. The types of activities included packing and delivering food parcels to schools, serving at a pensioner’s tea dance, and taking young people from the Teenage Cancer trust to a Hull City football game.

The campaign was a huge success and by the end of the month we were able to support 33 charities and provide more than 100 hours of volunteer time. In May 2022, the campaign received national recognition at the Better Society Awards, winning the Contribution to the Local Community Category.