Burton children can now benefit from a new sound system after leading pub company Punch Taverns made a donation to Touch of Life dance crew.
Punch made the £500 donation through its Punch Community Promise initiative to Touch of Life Crew CIC (Community Interest Company) – a voluntary dance group operating in the urban areas of East Staffordshire for ten years.
The Touch of Life dance crew offers street and break dance classes/workshops for young people between the ages of 5 and 25. Workshops take place four days a week at the Touch of Life Dance Studio located at Star Foundation on Queens Street.
The funds covered the cost of a new state-of-the-art sound system for the group.
Co-founder Dean Carruthers, who started the group in 2004, explains: “We provide an education of the art of dance. Our priority is to provide a platform for the kids to develop their dancing talent and raise their self-esteem, confidence and socialisation with others. More importantly, we do not want to exclude anyone who has a passion for dance and wants to learn new skills and meet friends.
“Touch of Life is totally dependent on a core group of volunteers, donations, grants and fund raising activities. Through the course of a week between 100 and 150 young people attend classes and, although we ask for a £2.50 donation per class, we recognise that some cannot afford this all the time so we have funding which helps cover this.
“Previously, we have been using a second-hand sound system and as the group is getting more and more popular and we are increasingly performing more, we found it was not substantial and needed additional, updated resources to carry on.
“We are delighted that the donation from Punch has enabled hundreds of local youngsters to enjoy dance classes. This will act as a springboard and help them develop their skills and passion for the art.”
Punch HR Director Jackie Burn who also heads up the Punch Community Promise, said: “As a Burton business, we are committed to causes in the community and we have donated almost £3,000 to local groups and charities throughout the area in 2013.
“The donation will benefit all the children involved in the dance group and we consider applications for fundraising from all local groups within the community.”
The Punch Community Promise involves Punch donating time and money to a variety of local causes such as charities, schools, sports clubs, welfare groups and hospitals. To qualify, charities or causes must be located within a 15-mile catchment area of Punch Taverns’ support centre in Burton.
To find out more about the Punch Community Promise and to make an application, please email: punchcommunitypromise@punchtaverns.com
Punch is a leading pub company in the UK with around 4,000 leased and tenanted pubs nationwide.
For more information about Touch of Life, contact Dean Carruthers, Co-Ordinator on 07837508103 or visit www.touchoflife.co.uk